Robert Kiserlovski

Robert Kiserlovski won the 71st Giro dell’Appennino beating Domenico Pozzovivo (fresh off his win at the Giro del Trentino) in a two man sprint; third place went to Alessandro Bertolini. Elite pulled off this hat trick with the three riders from their respective teams: Team Liquigas Doimo, Colnago–CSF Inox and Androni Giocattoli, which are the three most outstanding teams wearing the colours of the Elite group. For the young Croatian talent riding for Team Liquigas Doimo this is his first victory as a pro.

Let’s have a closer look at the young Croatian talent.

An important success at the tender age of 23?

I’m very happy that I’ve broken the ice among the professionals. And I can only be grateful to the team for the faith they’ve shown in me: I knew I was doing well and they supported me splendidly. I’d like to think that this is going to be the first of many more successes. In these years I’ve worked hard to make it onto an important team like Liquigas-Doimo and now I just want to focus on getting better.

At the Giro dell’Appennino you proved to be strong on climbs and in the sprint; what kind of rider are you?

As far as physical and character traits I’m purely a climber. I like up-hills, terrain where I can best express my capabilities. If I find myself having to sprint with another climber, like I did yesterday with Pozzovivo, I know I am faster. I like to scat, get up on the pedals and accelerate. This is a weapon that helps me make a difference in the final moments and on climbs. I’m also blessed with good resistance that allows me to face stage races and put in a good performance.

You’re lucky enough to be riding in one of the strongest groups on the International scene next to great champions like Ivan Basso, Franco Pellizotti, Roman Kreuziger and Vincenzo Nibali. What do you think, is this an advantage?

It’s a great advantage! By observing them I can learn a lot: racing strategy, vision of the race and energy management. I also went on a high altitude retreat with them which gave me important tips for training. When I ride next to them I always try to “steal” with my eyes and every occasion is a great opportunity to learn something new. I can only be happy that there are so many champions on the team.

What are your goals for the 2010 season?

I’m at Liquigas-Doimo to help my captain in the most important events. I’m working very hard to gain their trust as well as the technicians’ trust. My goal is to be ready whenever I’m called to duty for the team, whether it be as support or going for the prize. I don’t set specific objectives other than to be dedicated and work hard to continue growing.

This is your first victory as a pro, but what is the race you most dream of winning?

I have a lot of dreams tucked away: winning a major Giro, winning a classic for climbers…Only time will tell how far I can go. With each passing year I get better and better and I’m gaining confidence in my abilities. As of now, though, rather than thinking about the future I prefer to live in the present without too many distractions. I want to keep my feet firmly on the ground: the road to success is still long and winding.

Ivan Gutierrez

Like all his Caisse d’Epargne team-mates, Iván Gutiérrez achieved a really impressive job in Paris-Nice which finished yesterday on the French Riviera, to help both his leaders Alejandro Valverde and Luis León Sánchez to try and win the race.

“I did not finish the last stage, like some other team-mates because we had no forces left to reach Nice”, explained this afternoon Iván Gutiérrez who travelled home in Cantabria on Sunday evening.

“We gave it all till the last day to try and change the overall classification but even if we did not succeed doing that I believe that we should be very proud for the job we achieved every day as well as for the fact we took place two and three in the final ranking.”

“We have been fighting really so hard every day that we surely deserved at least a stage victory but we never have to forget that many other riders are giving it all to win too and there is only one winner every day.”

“All the stages were very fast ones and besides the fact the rhythm was so high, it was also necessary to be very attentive all the time. And except for the last day, it was so cold during that race!”

“I believe we should be satisfied because once more time we showed that we are really a great tem and that it is always possible to rely on us, in all the races we take part in,” also said the rider from Cantabria who will take part next week in the Tour of Cataluña before starting in the northern classics where he hopes to get some good results.

Alejandro Valverde (Foto Valverde Prensa)

finished the second of the sixth stage of Paris-Nice which took place this Saturday between Peynier and the touristic locality of Tourrettes-sur-Loup. The longest stage of the French race, with 220 kilometers to go, was a very difficult one, with five third category hills, two second category ones and one of first category, the Col de Vance, at 32 kilometers from the finish.

“Once again second!” declared Alejandro Valverde who thanks to the time bonuses is now fourteen seconds behind Alberto Contador in the general classification.

“If one could win everything he would like to it would be wonderful. I am every day very close and that shows how well I feel but there is a little something missing every day to give me the possibility to raise my arms. Nevertheless today Tondo achieved a great stage and he deserved to win.”

“The job my team is doing every day is incredible too and it is really a pity not to be able to win something but there is one stage left to go and tomorrow many things can happen. I hope to recover very well tonight and tomorrow I shall fight till the race is finished”, concluded the Caisse d’Epargne rider.

Ivan Gutierrez (Foto Prensa Ivan Gutierrez)

“In such a day like today I have to be in front , very careful to what is happening and work to help my leaders”, explained Iván Gutiérrez behind the finishing line in Contres where the first stage of Paris-Nice finished today.

“Alejandro Valverde and Luis León Sánchez came here to win the race and we have to be there with them in all the stages, not only in the mountain stages. In a stage like today, very fast and very nervous, many things can happen and it is very important to be there with them.”

“Today we are the ones who decided to break the bunch. At about ten kilometers from the line I felt that it was the right moment to do it and I attacked. And we did it!”

“The psychological factor is also very important. Today we caused some damage in the bunch and we know that our rivals will respect us”, concluded the rider from Cantabria.

Alejandro Valverde (Foto Valverde Prensa)

Alejandro Valverde, who took the start of the first stage of Paris-Nice with the jersey of the leader of the mountain classification (yesterday he was the second best time at the top of the hill included in the prologue), finished at place five in Contres after a 201,5 kilometers long stage won by Greg Henderson.

“I would have like to win the stage too”, declared Alejandro Valverde as soon as he crossed the finishing line, “but after he worked a lot in the breakaway to increase the gap as much as possible with the bunch, I was no longer strong enough to defeat a sprinter like Henderson. Anyway I am really happy because of what we achieved today.”

“The stage was a very fast and very nervous one, with many crashed. We were very careful and all the time in front of the race. Our team manager Yvon Ledanois perfectly knew the final of the stage because he came here a few weeks ago to see how the last kilometers look like. He told us that at 23 kilometers from the finish, as soon as we turned right, the wind could play a very important role and that we had to be in front of the bunch right there.”

“And things went exactly the way he told so that we gave it all to make a break in the bunch. The gap on the line reached 17 seconds. It is important most of all because many rivals finished with the second group. Today we showed Team Caisse d’Epargne is a great one and that we will try to be in front every day”, concluded Valverde very happy.

Juanjo Cobo en el Tour Mediterraneo (Foto Prensa Juanjo Cobo)

Juanjo Cobo, who celebrates today his 29th birthday, defends this year the colors of the team Caisse d’Epargne. He is currently participating in the Mediterranean Tour which second stage took place today between Peynier and Trets.

After so many years in the same team, how did you adapt yourself to your new colors?

“Very well indeed and very motivated. I consider it a great opportunity to sign with such a big team as Caisse d’Epargne is. I have been really lucky and I hope to deserve the trust they put in me. The team is a very strong one with very good riders where everybody knows exactly what he has to do. Everybody is important. The team has a big leader with Alejandro Valverde but everybody can someday receive the ok to go and win his race. That is something very important for the motivation.”

You already knew several people within the team…

“For sure, besides Iván Gutiérrez and Ángel Madrazo, which I know since we are very young as we live in the same region, I also already knew all the Spanish riders who are in the team. They are all friends. I felt I formed part of the group since the first moment when I came to Pamplona on December 15 to take part in the team first training camp. The atmosphere is really nice and we are joking all the time. It is very important because you can see the results of such a good spirit on the road.”

Last Monday in Mallorca you took part on the occasion of the Cala Millor Trophy to your first race with the colors of Caisse d’Epargne. How did you feel?

“In fact after such a hard winter in the northern part of Spain where I am living, as it was the case all through Europe I believe, with conditions which were everything but ideal to train, I felt better than I thought. We came to the Mediterranean Tour with an important objective: to win the race with Alejandro Valverde and till now I have good sensation. I will do my best to help him reaching his goal. Yesterday I had good feelings but today I suffered so much because of the cold weather. The temperature remained almost all the time below zero degrees Celsius and my feet were frozen. I suffered so much in the final!”

Where shall we see you after the Mediterranean Tour that finishes on next Sunday?

“I will normally take part in the Clásica of Almería on Sunday February 28 and after that in Paris-Nice. After that we shall decide if I take part in the Tour of Catalonia or rather in the Criterium International before going to the Tour of the Basque Country. Amstel, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège will conclude this first part of the season.”

Cadel Evans world champion Photo BMC Racing Team

Fresh off the BMC Racing Team’s training camp in California, Cadel Evans looks back on the start of his season and ahead to a year of racing alongside new teammates in the rainbow jersey.

How did you feel about your performance at the Santos Tour Down Under?
We didn’t win anything but that wasn’t our objective. The BMC Racing Team’s objectives were to go there and start working together as a unit in a race situation. I’m real happy with how we functioned both as a team and also getting to know the guys in a race situation. It was a good way to get to know (Director Sportif) John Lelangue and guys like George (Hincapie) and (Mauro) Santambrogio and everyone else.

After the Tour Down Under, you traveled to the United States for the last five days of the team’s training camp. How did that go?
It was a really productive time. Certainly there were a lot of people to get to know. In fact, nearly everyone on the team was new ..Continue reading..

BMC racing team photo

BMC Racing Team Leaves Camp As Solid Group

The BMC Racing Team’s training camp in California produced something even more important than two solid weeks of riding to prepare the squad for the next nine months of racing.

BMC Racing Team Director Sportif John Lelangue said the camaraderie that was fostered among 20 riders and more than two dozen staff and managers will be just as worthwhile as the miles the riders put in from Jan. 16th to the 31st. “The most important thing we got out of camp was that this team became one block: the BMC Racing Team,” he said. “Everyone knows the objectives, everyone is working well together and everyone became friends like they had known each other for years.”

Trying Out New Equipment
Often spending up to six hours on their BMC bicycles each day, the riders practiced sprints, lead-outs and team time trialing during training rides along the California coastline. The camp also provided them the opportunity to learn about the team’s sponsors and try out new equipment from Easton, new helmets from Bell and sunglasses from Oakley, and new nutritional products from First Endurance. The team’s new racing apparel from Hincapie Sportswear was also successfully put to the test in the first week due to extremely rainy weather in the Santa Rosa area.

Objectives Achieved
BMC Racing Team President Jim Ochowicz personally oversaw the camp and even joined the team several times on training rides. He said he was encouraged by what he saw during the two weeks. “Seeing all the guys working together and watching the chemistry develop on and off ..Continue reading..

BMC Racing Team

Throughout training camp, the BMC Racing Team will doing more than just riding their BMC bicycles for hours.

In between the meals, massages and meetings are opportunities to learn about the team’s sponsors. This personal interaction with company representatives provides the athletes, staff and management the chance to learn more about the products they will be using during the 2010 season. On Monday night, the first of many sponsor presentations kicked off with First Endurance, the team’s nutritional sponsor.

Innovative Racing Nutrients

First Endurance produces a variety of premium sports nutrition products that are designed to work together to help maximize endurance and performance. Throughout the season – during racing and training – riders on the BMC Racing Team will utilize the Endurance MultiV (a daily multi-nutrient vitamin), the PreRace (a flavor-free powder), EFS (advanced endurance drink mix with the highest electrolyte content available), EFS Liquid Shots (energy concentrate), Ultragen recovery drink and First Endurance energy bars. As First Endurance Owner Robert Kunz explained during a 35-minute presentation, the BMC Racing Team will be providing valuable feedback for the company to stay at the forefront of endurance performance.

A Rainy Ride

Monday’s first group training ride of the two-week camp was a wet one for the BMC Racing Team. A planned four-hour ride was nearly cut short by a torrential downpour before the team’s 18 riders even left the outskirts of Santa Rosa, California. But Assistant Director Sportif Mike Sayers said a brief sign of the sun and some additional warmth kept the original training ride plan in place. The squad was split into two groups: riders who will be racing the Tour of Qatar and those who will not. “The Qatar guys definitely have a little bit more pressure to get ready quickly, so it was good to split the group,” Sayers said. “Ultimately, everyone did what they were asked to do.”