Wannabe Bike Girl

Quick Step team rider cycling world champion Tom Boonen of Belgium celebrates on the podium after the first stage of the Tour of Qatar cycling race from Khalifa stadium to Al Khor Corniche January 30, 2006. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

Well, he certainly is off to a good start. I wish I could see some of these races, I’d like to see him race.

Sadly, there are no podium pictures, but here’s one of Erik at the start.

Milram team rider Erik Zabel (L) of Germany prepares to compete in the International Doha Grand Prix cycling race January 27, 2006. Quick Step team rider cycling world champion Tom Boonen of Belgium won the race and Zabel finished third. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

I am really, really happy that he’s finishing in the top three. I hope he can keep this up and I’d like to see both Petacchi and him at the tour. I don’t care if people say it’ll be a top heavy team, I really like it. I don’t think I could explain why, but to have two of the greatest (and two of my favorite) sprinters on the same team really makes me happy. And the fact that they seem to get along makes me happy too. Even though, at first, I was a bit upset about the whole them both racing the tour thing, I like the idea now. It mixes things up and I like that.

Anyway, the top 10.

» Stage 1 – January 30: Khalifa Stadium – Al Khor Corniche, 131.5 km
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step – Innergetic
2 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram
3 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak Hearing Systems
4 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team CSC
5 Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) Phonak Hearing Systems
6 Aurélien Clerc (Swi) Phonak Hearing Systems
7 Nick Ingels (Bel) Davitamon – Lotto
8 Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner
9 Aart Vierhouten (Ned) Skil – Shimano
10 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick Step – Innergetic

And one last picture. This one is for you, Knox.

Quick Step team rider cycling world champion Tom Boonen of Belgium changes his jersey after he won the first stage of the Tour of Qatar cycling race from Khalifa stadium to Al Khor Corniche January 30, 2006. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

Music: nine inch nails – sunspots

Is there something in the water? Apparently just because Armstrong’s not racing the tour in ‘06, everyone (well, not everyone, but just two of the biggest names in cycling) thinks that Ullrich will win it. I am not convinced either way, though my loyalty remains with Vinokourov (no matter how hopeless that might end up being). I can see why people would be inclined to pick Ullrich, I’m just not so sure that he’s the right person. Not because he can’t do (and he already has once), but because there are other, younger (and maybe stronger — although that’s up for debate) cyclists out there, Basso among them. But, who knows, it is an open field compared to previous years.

» Merckx taps Ullrich for Tour win:

Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx has joined a growing chorus of experts tipping Jan Ullrich as the favorite for this year’s Tour de France. Merckx said Sunday that Ullrich would be the man to beat come July.

“This year belongs to Ullrich,” Merckx told Agence France Presse. “He’s decided to compete in the Giro d’Italia before the Tour, which will allow him to arrive in excellent condition. Doing both the Tour and the Giro is an excellent idea. He’ll arrive in July in form with the necessary stamina for three weeks of racing.”

The five-time Tour champion joins Lance Armstrong in predicting that Ullrich looks to be the favorite going into this year’s Tour.

“In the past, Ullrich was mistake in concentrating solely on the Tour,” Merckx continued. “He needs to ride more to build up his fitness for July.” (velonews)

This reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine earlier this month. We were discussing cycling and how both of us thought the tour was going to be exciting every year. The reason we thought this was because we both started really paying attention and watching in 2003 — which was (to us) one of the most exciting tours ever. Armstrong was almost beatable, Ullrich was right there, Vino (who I didn’t like at the time because I was totally pulling for Hamilton) was a beautiful third and then there was Tyler Hamilton. Not to mention all the antics involved with the green jersey race and my adoration of Baden Cooke and the beginnings of my “hatred” for Robbie McEwen.

Much to our collective chagrin, though, neither ‘04 nor ‘05 have really lived up to, much less surpassed, the level of excitement we found with that first tour. Sure, the ‘05 Giro was really exciting and a lot of fun, but the race that means the most to me, if only because it was my “first” (so to speak), is the tour. And you’d think, because it’s touted as the biggest race in cycling, it would continue to be exciting. Hopefully this year it will be. I look forward to it, although my ability to watch it live will probably be compromised greatly (because of, hopefully, a job or two).

Regardless of who wins and who picks who to win, I can’t wait to see it.

Music: bedousin soundclash – immigrant workforce

If you’ve been reading here for any amount of time, you know that I’m a big Sven Nys fan. But, even more, I’m a really, really big Francis Mourey fan. And, well, the results of the 2006 Cyclocross World Championships really, really made me happy. Sure, I was sad that Nys fell and that neither the other Sven nor Tom did quite as well as I wanted. But, I don’t know, I think third place is pretty damn good.

1 Erwin Vervecken (Belgium) 1.05.40
2 Bart Wellens (Belgium) 0.02
3 Francis Mourey (France)

And he was pretty close to being second. So, yeah. I’m really proud of him.

Erwin Vervecken, of Belgium, center, celebrates on the podium after his victory at the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Zeddam, eastern Netherlands, Sunday Jan. 29, 2006. At left Bart Wellens who finished in second place and Francis Mourey, right, of France finished in third. (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)

Erwin Vervecken of Belgium (C) , compatriot Bart Wellens (L) and Francis Mourey of France bite their medals as they pose for photographers after the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Zeddam, the Netherlands, January 29, 2006. Belgium’s Vervecken won the championship, ahead of compatriot Wellens and Mourey of France. REUTERS/Michael Kooren

Music: us vs. norway

Quick Step team rider and cycling world champion Tom Boonen (R) of Belgium leads a pack of riders during the International Doha Grand Prix cycling race January 27, 2006. Boonen won the race. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

After Australia comes Doha … And we get closer to the European road season. Just a few pictures from the race as well as the top three.

Qatar Cycling Federation President Sheikh Khaled Bin Ali Al-Thanion applauds Quick Step team rider cycling world champion Tom Boonen (L) of Belgium after he won ahead of Phonak team rider Robert Hunter of South Africa and Milram team rider Erik Zabel of Germany during the International Doha Grand Prix cycling race January 27, 2006. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

Results – 108 km
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step – Innergetic
2 Robert Hunter (RSA) Phonak Hearing Systems
3 Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram

Quick Step team rider cycling world champion Tom Boonen (C) of Belgium is congratulated by Phonak team rider Robert Hunter (L) of South Africa and Milram team rider Erik Zabel of Germany after winning the International Doha Grand Prix cycling race January 27, 2006. Hunter finished second and Zabel came in third. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen

This is a good start for Boonen and QuickStep. As much as I admire him (and I do), I don’t like the team itself and I really don’t want to watch him win every race. But, that being said, this is just the beginning of the season. But on the other side of things, I am quite pleased to see that Erik Zabel came in third. Quite good, I think. Apparently Stuart O’Grady’s chain broke as he was contesting the sprint. From cyclingnews:

Misfortune for O’Grady in Doha

In his first outing for Team CSC, Australian rider Stuart O’Grady broke his chain while contesting the final sprint against Tom Boonen in the 108km event. World champion Boonen (Quick Step) went on to take the win while O’Grady was left to rue an opportunity missed in his first race for the Danish squad.

“The whole team was up front during the final lap and Stuart was in a perfect position, right on Tom Boonen’s wheel, when the sprint started,” said CSC sports director Alain Gallopin. Speaking on the team’s official website, Gallopin continued, “So it could have been a really good result, but then his chain broke. On the other hand, Stuart was lucky not to crash, and today’s effort from the team makes me very optimistic for the Tour of Qatar.”

Gallopin wasn’t pleased with the piece of bad luck, but is very pleased with the form of his squad so early in the season. “We’ve come directly from a hard training camp, but we’ve noticed that some of the riders are already in great shape,” he said. “We obviously need a bit of luck to repeat last year’s huge success in the Tour of Qatar, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we got one or two big results down here again this year.”

Music: the two towers

Tour de France podium finisher convicted on doping charges: (espn/ap)

BONNEVILLE, France — A French court convicted a Lithuanian cyclist and his wife on doping charges Thursday and gave them suspended four-month prison sentences.

Raimondas Rumsas, who finished third in the 2002 Tour de France, and his wife, Edita, did not attend the verdict by the Bonneville criminal court in the Alps. Both were charged with possessing and importing doping products.

The court also handed a 12-month suspended prison sentence to Polish doctor Kristof Ficek, who prescribed doping products. The court ordered all three to pay $1,230 in damages to the French Cycling Federation.

Edita Rusmas was stopped at the French-Italian border on July 28, 2002 — the last day of that year’s Tour de France — with doping products in her car. She originally claimed they were for her ill mother.

Just more news on doping. A day before (I’m a little slow finding news out sometimes) Bode Miller opens his mouth. I’m still kind of baffled by Bode, but I think I’m probably not the only one.

Music: marketplace

Armstrong says Ullrich will stroll 2006 Tour (reuters):

BERLIN (Reuters) – Jan Ullrich will win the 2006 Tour de France with ease, according to former arch-rival and record seven-times champion Lance Armstrong.

“I predict that he’ll win it by four to five minutes,” Armstrong was quoted as saying in Thursday’s Bild newspaper.

Armstrong, who retired after winning last year’s tour, has long said his key challenger was Ullrich.

Ullrich, 32, won the world’s greatest cycling race in 1997 but finished behind Armstrong the last seven years with six podiums.

“All our team planning and strategy in the past years concentrated entirely on how to neutralize Ullrich. Fortunately it always worked,” the American said.

Armstrong, 34, said once again he would not come out of retirement to race in the Tour.

“I’m never going to race again. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll have nothing to do with it. It’s a fantastic race and I’ll always watch it.”

Bild did not say where Armstrong made the remarks. He was in South Africa on Wednesday to launch a “Unite 4 Health” campaign and visited cancer patients in the Soweto township outside Johannesburg.

Music: cataloging professor

From procycling:

Riders send warning to Pound: The Association of Professional Riders has demanded that WADA chief Dick Pound withdraw allegations that drug use is “planned and deliberate” within leading pro teams.

After classes tonight I’ll read this article again and share my thoughts.

Music: professor talking

ProTour teams back UCI: The UCI has scored an important point in the standoff between it and the organisers of cycling’s three Grand Tours. It has emerged that, at a meeting overseen by the AIGCP (International Association Of Professional Cycling Teams) last Wednesday, the ProTour teams rejected outright the plans unveiled by ASO, RCS and Unipublic in December. (cyclingnews)

But even more interesting than that is this editorial over at velonews.

Grand tours, L’Équipe have their heads in the sand: A month ago in Paris, the organizers of the three grand tours made a very public statement by holding a press conference in which they said they were going to extract the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España and their eight ancillary races from the UCI ProTour system. In a direct challenge to the Union Cycliste Internationale, the organizers [ASO in France, RCS in Italy and Unipublic in Spain] said they would create their own Grand Tour Trophy competition and offer the 20 ProTour teams a package of prizes and bonuses that would total almost $5million.

I’m not entirely sure who is going to benefit from all of this. The cyclists? The UCI? I am still not certain the ProTour is the best idea, but I don’t really know. And I’m not at all qualified to say. So I think we’ll just have to wait and see what happens this year.

Music: ted leo & the pharmacists – Building Skyscrapers in the Basement