castelli-cycling.com

Defending Tour de France champion Carlos Sastre gave the clear sign that he’s coming into form when he finished with the group of favourites at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday. Sastre was part of the chasing bunch which crossed the line 1.24 minutes behind solo victor Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), and rolled home in the same time as several of his rivals for the Tour.

“The Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the last race that I have ridden before the Italian Giro, has left me with a very good feeling, he says on his web-site. I think that all the training I’ve done at home and the races that I’ve ridden have helped me to attain the level of fitness that I was looking for. I feel as though I’m ready to take on the Giro with guarantees”.

”My team has once again ridden a very nice race, with a great performance by Marcel Wyss, who stayed up front throughout the whole race and with a sixth position by Simon Guerrans. I think the team has covered a very important start of the season and it was really good for me because I was able to do the things that I wanted in terms of managing and above all, prepare as I should to reach the Italian Giro (my first important goal of this season) in the best of conditions, as I believe I will”.

“From now on, I’m not going to race, I have a little over a week to stay at home and refine my technique to arrive at Venice ready to take on the Giro with guarantees”.

For more information:
Carlossastre.com

While browsing YouTube, I found this great lead-out for Thor Hushovd during Tour of California, stage 3. It was freezing rain, but the Men-In-Black still managed to pull of a text book lead out for Thor.

With Thor Hushovd turning his focus on the Tour de France, we hope to see more of this during the summer!

The centennial edition of the Giro d’Italia will kick-off in less than 11 days on May 9 in Venice. The Cervélo Test Team has shaved it Giro d’Italia rider list from 12 to the nine that will start in Venice. The team is aiming for a top three finish on general classification in Italy according to sports director Jean-Paul van Poppel.

“We are going for a top result in the general classification with the leader and Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre,” said van Poppel. “He will get support from the entire team to reach a top three place in the general classification.”

Australia’s Simon Gerrans has been drafted into the squad with the aim of claiming a stage victory. Gerrans took his first Grand Tour stage victory in France last year.

“Another target is a stage win during the 100 anniversary edition of the Giro,” said van Poppel. “With Simon Gerrans the team has a good candidate to win a stage, though we also have Philip Deignan and Hayden Roulston as potential stage winners.”

The Norwegian Sprinter Thor Hushovd, also in the 12 man pre-selection for the Giro Team, decided last week to turn his focus on the Tour and will not start in the Giro, “I had a hard classic season and need a good break. After that, I will start building up my shape slowly for my next big goal, the Tour de France. For the Giro, I would have had to be ready right from the beginning of the race, but I haven’t had enough time to prepare.” Hushovd said.

Cervélo Test Team riders list:
Carlos Sastre (ESP)
Philip Deignan (IRL)
Simon Gerrans (AUS)
Volodymir Gustov (UKR)
Jeremy Hunt (GBR)
Ted King (USA)
Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU)
Serge Pauwels (BEL)
Hayden Roulston (NZL)

Kirsten Wild raced to her second victory of the weekend on Sunday winning the Grand Prix Stad Roeselare (Belgium).

“Today we controlled the entire race,” said Manel Lacambra, Sports Director Cervélo (Women) TestTeam. “We maintained a high speed to prevent any chance of attack and consequently there was none, not even from our team as we were looking for a sprint. In the final Sarah (Düster) did the lead out for Kirsten and again she was the strongest and won the race. Two victories within 24 hours. We are very glad – it was a perfect race from the entire team – everyone did a great work and the victory was our reward.”

Kirsten Wild - Grand Prix Stad Roeselare (Belgium)

Cycling’s grand dame, Liège-Bastogne-Liège is one of the most prestigious cycling events and ranks as one of the most important races in cycling. The oldest race of the men’s sprint classics Liège-Bastogne-Liège takes place Sunday, April 26 in the Ardennes (Belgium).

The hilly parcours and long distance at 261km makes Liège one of the most physically challenging of the one-day classics. The 18 rated hills, or côtes, provide a stiff challenge with short, but steep climbs, especially in the closing 100km of race and always with some some of the most exciting attacks of the season.

The course follows a straight forward 95 km route from Liège to Bastogne, and a winding 163 km route back to Liège. The second half contains most of the climbs, such as the Côte de Stockeu, Côte de la Redoute and Côte de Saint-Nicolas before finishing in the northern Liège suburb of Ans. Cervélo TestTeam will participate with a strong team around Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre (ESP) and Simon Gerrans (AUS)

Profile of the race, time schedule and more information, click here >

The Cervélo TestTeam announced yesterday that the nordic viking Thor Hushovd will skip the Giro d’Italia.

After a full spring program including stage win at Tour of California, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and third places in both Miano-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, Hushovd is taking some time to rest and to train, giving his full focus to the Tour de France in July.

“I had a hard classic season and need a good break, said Hushovd. After that, I will start building up my shape slowly for my next big goal, the Tour de France. For the Giro, I would have had to be ready right from the beginning of the race, but I haven’t had enough time to prepare.

Hushovd made the decision in consultation with Cervélo TestTeam’s Sports Director, Jean Paul van Poppel, “with the Tour ahead, we decided that it was in the teams’ and my best interests to adjust our plans, said Hushovd. Instead, I’ll do Volta a Catalunya and the Tour de Swiss with my main lead-out man, Brett Lancaster. This way we can train and work together on our lead-out.”

April 23rd, Pre-Selection of the Cervélo TestTeam for the Giro d’Italia:
Philip Deignan (IRL), Simon Gerrans (AUS), Volodymir Gustov (UKR), Jérémy Hunt (GBR), Ted King (USA), Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU), Daniel Lloyd (GBR), Joaquin Novoa (ESP), Serge Pauwels (BEL), Hayden Roulston (NZL), Carlos Sastre (ESP)

Cervélo TestTeam’s Simon Gerrans provided another top ten finish in the ‘Ardennes classics’ coming in 8th place only 11 seconds after the winner Davide Rebellin (Serramenti PVC).

The fast Aussie comment after the race, “Yea, I am pretty happy with a top ten, I sort of sat back and gambled a bit on the groups coming back to the finish because there was a lot of attacking in the last 40 or 50 kilometers. There were a lot of groups going off the front so I just tried to sit back with the favorites. Then coming into the last climb up the Mur, I wasn’t too badly placed though I would have liked to have been a few positions better off, more in front, because I kind of got stuck behind a few guys in the middle of the climb so I couldn’t accelerate when the front guys went. But once I got through that little bit of traffic, I accelerated as hard as I could and moved into eighth position, Ya, so the legs are pretty good, I am fairly happy, As for Liège - Bastogne - Liège, I will see how I recover from today, I think after a top ten in Amstel and again in Fleche, if I can do something similar in Liege I will be really happy.”

Dutchwoman Marianne Vos (DSB Bank) attacked inside of 200 meters remaining on the Mur de Huy, sprinting to her third-career victory at the La Flèche Wallonne Femenine. Claudia Häusler was the top Cervélo TestTeam finisher in third place.

“We were planning to control the race from the start,” said Sports Director, Manel Lacambra, “to save Claudia Häusler and Emma Pooley for a strong finish, but we were forced to change our plans when Emma had a bad crash after only 10km. Unfortunately, the crash took Emma out of the race and she had to be sent to the hospital.

“So, instead of controlling the race, we were responding to attack after attack. In the middle of the race, Claudia got away on a break with Luise Keller from Columbia. They got as far as 40s out before Team Nurnberger Versicherung closed the gap. In the end, Claudia Häusler and Christiane Soeder (Cervélo TestTeam) were at the front in a group of 15 riders, and when Häusler attacked, Marianne Vos and Emma Johansson went with her. Vos took the win, with Johansson in second and Claudia Häusler took third in a sprint finish. It was a tough race with only five riders at the end, so we are very pleased with Claudia’s third place finish.”