Giro d’Italia 2013: The Contenders

May 3, 2013 //

Bradley Wiggins

Photo: Team Sky

The grand ambition of Wiggins to become the first man to achieve the Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998 is rather reliant on whether some manner of disaster hits his flying teammate, Chris Froome. All this talk of Tour de France leadership is an unhealthy distraction for Wiggins, for it is the Giro which takes priority this year, and it is the Giro we should be talking about. It will be a slightly modified Wiggins from the one that took a dominant victory in the Tour de France last year: he has been training for steeper ascents and his acceleration has noticeably improved this year. He may not have a single win against his name in 2013, but that is simply because he hasn’t ridden an individual time trial yet. We will surely see his prowess against the clock in the stage eight time trial, and that will come after a team time trial on the opening Sunday, for which Team Sky will inevitably be strong. It is a daunting prospect for Wiggins’ rivals that the Brit is likely to build an intimidating advantage at the end of the first week. Sky’s train of super-domestiques will provide excellent support for the race favourite in the scenario that Wiggins takes pink early on, though they may prefer to rent the jersey to an opportunistic escapee. There’s certainly a good chance the Kid from Kilburn will be wearing Pink in Brescia come May 26.

Vincenzo Nibali

Photo: Graham Watson

The Shark of Messina has been in scintillating form so far this week, winning Italy’s two biggest one-week races, Tirreno-Adriatico and Giro del Trentino with typically aggressive displays. He was powerless to stop the Sky onslaught at last year’s Tour de France, but he will be much more at home in the Giro, and I think we will see a panache-filled display from the Italian. Something that works in Nibali’s favour is that his support at Astana will be strong, and though probably not on Sky’s level, he at least won’t be constantly isolated in the high mountains as he may have been had he stayed on with Cannondale. Young Fabio Aru may have an important role to play for his team leader, if he can repeat his impressive performances from Trentino in the real thing, the Giro. Nibali is renowned for his relaxed approach to preparation, but the 2013 Nibali looks somehow more professional. So although Wiggins feels he has improved from last year, it looks like Nibali has gone up another gear also.

Ryder Hesjedal

Photo: steephill.tv/reuters

I must confess to feeling a little smug when Hesjedal became the surprise winner of the Maglia Rosa last year, because I believed in the Canadian when he said that he thought he could win the race outright. His ding-dong battle with Joaquim Rodríguez proved that he could mix it with the world’s most explosive climber. This year he is out to prove that his win was no fluke (as if winning the Giro could possibly be flukish!) and along with Nibali, this is the one rider who Wiggins has reason to be especially wary of. Hesjedal started his season especially late this year at the Volta a Catalunya, but by the time the Ardennes Classics came along, he was already coming into some very sharp form. In Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Hesjedal worked hard to enable his teammate, Dan Martin, to win his first classic. All being well, Garmin’s leader will be in peak condition by the beginning of the final week. Given that a backloaded race suits Hesjedal down to a tee, I think we can expect big things again from the big man.

Samuel Sánchez

Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images Europe

Now this is an unfamiliar site; we don’t often see Samu at the Giro. Sánchez is riding the Giro d’Italia for the first time in his career since 2005, when he was yet to establish himself as a top stage racer. That year he managed 15th overall, but eight years on he has built up quite a palmarès and hopes to complete the set of a podium finish on each of the Grand Tours. It’s hard to say how much Sánchez’ age is catching up with him at the grand old age of 35, because after winning the Vuelta al País Vasco in April, his season was derailed last year by a nasty crash at the Tour de France. Nonetheless, though his results so far this year have been far from spectacular, I’d certainly expect him to be a protagonist in the Giro. Where those above him would be disappointed not to win, a podium will be enough for Sánchez to call the Giro a success.

Michele Scarponi

Photo: Sirotti/cyclingfans.com

Here is the reluctant winner of the 2011 Giro d’Italia. Reluctant on the part of many fans, too. Scarponi, after all, is a former (we hope) client/contact of both Messrs Fuentes and Ferrari, who is lucky to still be riding. Fourth in the Giro last year was a step back, but a very strong performance in Liège–Bastogne–Liège suggests that his career is not in a sharp decline. Scarponi won’t particularly enjoy the long individual time trial and his time loss to Wiggins on this stage is likely to far exceed that of Hesjedal and Nibali. But again, like Sánchez, I can imagine him being consistently in the thick of the action in the high mountain stages, especially on the punchier gradients.

Robert Gesink

Photo: Barry Ryan/cyclingnews.com

I feel compelled to insert a joke here pertaining to Gesink’s tendency to fall off bikes. In all seriousness, it would be very interesting to see how Gesink goes if he can stay upright for three weeks. His performances over the last few years have been erratic, but we have seen glimpses of the great talent that he has. It’s a good move to come to the Giro. Gesink says that he was inspired by Hesjedal’s performance last year, and, being of a very similar build to the Canadian, he felt like he might be able to achieve something similar. Gesink’s results have been up and down this year however, and when he should have been following some of the top names in the Tour de Romandie, instead he was well off the pace of his Blanco teammates Wilco Kelderman and Steven Kruiswijk. Not too much should be expected of Kelderman as this is his debut Grand Tour, but Kruiswijk has finished in the top ten before and is very capable of doing the same again should Gesink not succeed.

Cadel Evans

Photo: Sarah Reed/The Advertiser

It’s hard to know what’s really going on in the BMC camp, because in theory you might think it should be a changing of the guard, with Cadel Evans handing over the baton to Tejay Van Garderen as the number one GC rider in the team. Despite the PR from both riders, Evans riding the Giro suggests that Van Garderen is likely to lead the team in July. Despite the supposedly late decision to ride the race, Evans doesn’t give the impression of a man who is using the Giro purely to train for the Tour. At 35 years of age, the truth is that Evans is not the rider that he once was, but of course that doesn’t mean he won’t have a part to play in the Giro. He is still hungry for success, but that success may be restricted to stage wins rather than overall glory.

Domenico Pozzovivo/Carlos Betancur

Photo: Bettini/cyclingnews.com

I’ve lumped these two together not because I don’t believe they are separate entities, but because they are on the same team, they are similar riders, and they have similar objectives. Confusing. The tiny Pozzovivio has the experience of many Giros under his belt and is a terrific climber (though he often exudes an illusion of looking more comfortable than he really is), but is still liable to getting caught up in crashes on the flat. He is just returning from a crash in the Giro del Trentino, but an encouraging ride in the Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn – Frankfurt (not the most memorable of names, I know…) puts him back on track. Betancur, on such magnificent form throughout Spring, is riding only his second Grand Tour. His first was the Giro d’Italia two years ago. If he can stretch his form until the end of May, there’s no reason why Betancur can’t replicate his impressive performances in Italy’s high mountains.

Mauro Santambrogio

Photo: Sirotti

And finally, here is the man who should probably be being talked up a lot more than he is. Santambrogio, a climber? Since joining Vini Fantini, it would appear so. Look at the results of the Prati di Tivo ascent in this year’s Tirreno Adriatico: second only to Chris Froome, beating the likes of Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador. He also beat Nibali and Wiggins on a mountain stage of the Giro del Trentino, before being undone on the final stage by Nibali, and taking second overall. All the signs are that this surprising revolution that Santambrogio has undergone, from one-day specialist to climber, makes him a serious contender for the Giro d’Italia crown. The mystery of this transformation has perhaps discouraged experts from rating him as a favourite, but there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be considered one. Time will tell whether he is indeed wrong to be underestimated.

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Tags Bradley Wiggins, Contenders, Cycling, Giro d'Italia 2013, Mauro Santambrogio, Poll, Ryder Hesjedal, sports, Vincenzo Nibali, vote

Categories Giro d'Italia 2013

Paris-Roubaix 2013

April 11, 2013 //

. The final sector of cobbles in Roubaix (Photo: Simon Gardner)

It really is a unique race, the Queen of the Classics. How remarkable that 254 kilometres of aggressive racing, including 27 stretches of bone-shattering pavé, can culminate in a cagey track sprint. This is the magic of Paris-Roubaix, a race in love with its own history. In a theatre of raucous supporters, it was an honour to witness such a finish to a captivating and memorable edition. Here is my experience of the day, with a few pictures.

Arriving in Roubaix early in the day, the veledrome was almost empty at the point I arrived. There was plenty of time to take in all the winners’ plaques interspersed with the cobbles on the Espace Charles Crupelandt, the final section of cobbles which is just outside the velodrome itself. I had a look round the Velo Club House opposite the velodrome, where Phil Liggett was at the bar. All the winners of the race are recorded above the bar and there is a wonderful display of photos lining the walls.

Each winner is honoured with a plaque amongst the Roubaix cobbles (Photo: Simon Gardner)

The Velo Club Bar was up and running. You may notice commentators Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin in the bottom left-hand corner (Photo: Simon Gardner)

Photographic memorabilia in the Club House (Photo: Simon Gardner)

An almost empty velodrome under a very blue sky (Photo: Simon Gardner)

At 1:30pm, the seated area of the velodrome – that which isn’t restricted to VIP access – was opened and quickly filled. I took a seat here to wait for the action to begin. A big screen showing live coverage of the race had been erected on the opposite side of the velodrome, to keep the crowds up to speed. After another hour or so we were treated to the arrival of the Junior race.

The first three riders trickled in: a Dane, a Brit and a Belgian began their circuit of the velodrome. It was the Danish rider, Mads Petersen, who prevailed in the sprint ahead of Nathan van Hooydonck, who is the nephew of the great Edwig van Hooydonck. Tao Geoghegan Hart finished third for Great Britain. The riders who make the podium at Paris-Roubaix juniors stand a good chance of turning into strong professional riders. In the 2004 race, Geraint Thomas beat Ian Stannard in a British 1-2. Four years later, Peter Sagan finished second to Andrew Fenn (another British success, funnily enough), now at Omega Pharma-Quick Step. You get the picture: some of the names I saw fighting for their lives below that day could well be the future of the sport.

Settled in the grandstand (Photo: Simon Gardner)

The leading three riders of the Junior race enter the velodrome (Photo: Simon Gardner)

More junior riders: Miguel Byron of the USA, Lukas Steger of Germany and Bas Tietema of Netherlands (Photo: Simon Gardner)

The three podium finishers in the Junior race. From right to left: Nathan van Hooydonck of Belgium (2nd), Mads Pedersen of Denmark (1st) and Tao Geoghegan Hart of Great Britain (3rd) (Photo: Simon Gardner)

When the podium ceremony for the Junior race had finished, it was time to focus on the headline event. The atmosphere in the velodrome was truly electric when the race reached its closing stages, as seen on the big screen. A mixture of cheers and groans reverberated around as Fabian Cancellara manoeuvered himself out of a dangerous position and towards the head of the race. Then the gasps as Stijn Vandenbergh and Zdeněk Štybar had their collisions with spectators. Four kilometers from the finish, there was a roar from the Swiss contingent in front as Cancellara put in a huge acceleration, only to be matched by an equally emphatic response from the Belgian supporters next to me and behind me, as Sep Vanmarcke clawed his way back on to Cancellara’s wheel.

Then, it was time. It’s that surreal moment as the heroic riders you’ve been watching on a screen for hours become represented by little figures, swelling in size as they approach you. I must confess to siding with Vanmarcke as the two riders swept round the bend and into the veldorome. It was a golden opportunity for the young Belgian hope, a replacement for the iconic Tom Boonen, to beat one of the modern day greats in one of the world’s biggest races. Even as Cancellara rode up the steep banking and threatened Vanmarcke with a trackstand, manipulating his opponent so that he led out the sprint, there was still a great possibility that the overwhelming race favourite was going to be beaten. After all, in a normal head-to-head sprint, Vanmarcke would have the edge on Cancellara. After 250 kilometres of horrible roads, a sprint is not nearly so simple.

Initially, it looked as though Vanmarcke had got the jump on Cancellara, but slowly, agonisingly, Cancellara gained ground. By the time they passed us, Cancellara and Vanmarcke were level. I couldn’t quite see the two of them hit the line from my obscured vantage point, but I knew from the eruption of joy from the Swiss supporters that their man had triumphed again. Spartacus may be a pompous nickname for a professional cyclist, but Fabian Cancellara does do it justice.

Vanmarcke and Cancellara scale the wall in anticipation of the sprint (Photo: Simon Gardner)

Briefly level: Vanmarcke and Cancellara in the sprint to the line (Photo: Simon Gardner)

Niki Terpstra, Greg Van Avermaet and Damien Gaudin sprint for 3rd place (Photo: Simon Gardner)

A group comes in containing Johan Vansummeren, winner of the 2011. This year Vasummeren suffered a puncture in the closing stages. (Photo: Simon Gardner)

A group comes in containing Johan Vansummeren, winner of the 2011. This year Vansummeren suffered a puncture in the closing stages. (Photo: Simon Gardner)

A large group makes full use of the banking. Pozzato is in the foreground ahead of the group. (Photo: Simon Gardner)

The podium: Fabian Cancellara, flanked by Sep Vanmarcke and Niki Terpstra (Photo: Simon Gardner)

The final classified riders circle the veledrome. Amongst them is last minute replacement and debutant Luke Durbridge. (Photo: Simon Gardner)

Jérôme Cousin was swept up by the voiture balai, but here he is, nonetheless, riding towards the team buses area. (Photo: Simon Gardner)

After the race, I took a look at the infamous showers, which I can assure you remain in very horrible condition. There is a brass plaque on each cubicle/dressing area celebrating a winner of the event. For me, it sums up the nostalgia of Paris-Roubaix more than anything else. I also obtained a few autographs from some exhausted riders, including the runner-up himself, Sep Vanmarcke. Fabian Cancellara was more difficult to get hold of, flanked by a posse of media and fans.

This will need updating…Fabian Cancellara’s shower plaque (Photo: Simon Gardner)

An autograph from Markel Irizar (Photo: Simon Gardner)

The perils of winning: Fabian Cancellara is stalked by a throng of supporters (Photo: Simon Gardner)

To anyone who might consider travelling to the race in the future for the first time, I can strongly recommend it. My first time at Roubaix was an utterly unforgettable experience.

Tags Cobbles, Cycling, Fabian Cancellara, Paris-Roubaix 2013, Plaque, Podium, Roubaix, Sep Vanmarcke, sports, Velodrome

Categories Classics, My Photos

A Sunday in Heaven

April 4, 2013 //

The Arenberg Forest (Photo: BrakeThrough Media | VeloNews.com)

Well. It seems that my previous entry was published a whole fifty-seven days ago. I’ve been inundated with University work and have had to neglect this blog, sadly. It is not dead, I promise. I can’t guarantee much of an upturn in the prolificacy of posts until the Summer, but the good news is that a week on Sunday I’ll be in Roubaix to watch the finish of the Hell of the North and I’ll make sure to post a new entry documenting the trip, complete with photos. I won’t be able to watch on any of the cobbled sectors but I will be in the velodrome, or else just outside it. It will be my first time ever going to a classic, so I’m excited to put it mildly.

It’s been a bitterly cold classics period but there may be a slight improvement in conditions for Paris-Roubaix. Forecasts are for a sunny day with highs of roughly 10 degrees centigrade. The forceful wind that is currently blowing across northern France should have died down by then too. I think the riders will take that, though it’s about time viewers (TV viewers anyhow…) were treated to another classic mudfest.

Dry or otherwise, the outstanding race favourite is the outstanding Fabian Cancellara. He may have fallen twice this week, but we’re assuming that the news we’ve received from the RadioShack camp is correct and that his latest crash is not overly serious. If Cancellara weren’t able to start Paris-Roubaix, it would surely be one of the most open editions in the race’s long history. But he will be there, and his rivals – whoever they consider themselves to be – have to find a way to beat him.

They could take a good look at the Tour of Flanders for a start, and in particular how too many teams displayed a passivity that played into the hands of Cancellara. The new route at the Tour of Flanders is decisive and formulaic relative to the old route with the Muur and Bosberg finale. This inevitably leads to far less exciting racing, but it also means that if you’re not on the level of a Cancellara or a Sagan, then you cannot afford to sit and wait until it’s over, unless you’re content to settle for a minor placing. A few riders did try and break away to pre-empt the inevitable race winning move but not nearly enough to threaten Cancellara and stretch his team beyond its capabilities.

Cancellara leads Sagan up the Oude Kwaremont in the Tour of Flanders (Photo: Getty Images)

Lotto were perhaps the only team that can be credited with really trying something ambitious. They sent Sieberg and Greipel up the road to set up a canny attack from Jürgen Roelandts, who got a well deserved place on the podium. It’s the key question for those who didn’t try anything before the final Oude Kwaremont ascension despite having the legs: did they really believe that they could follow Cancellara? Sagan I can understand – he did everything right (until he stepped onto the podium, but that’s another story) – but the signs had been obvious in the lead up to the race that Cancellara was back to his best form, or near enough.

It’s going to be the same story at Paris-Roubaix. The Cancellara monster attack will come, whether at the Carrefour de l’Arbre or on an earlier secteur. In theory, I don’t think anyone in the field should feel confident that they can hold his wheel when he turns on his motor, especially given the absence of Tom Boonen. Unfortunately, Boonen’s classics campaign is mirroring Cancellara’s of last year; his crash early on in the Tour of Flanders has ruled him out of Paris-Roubaix and pretty much derailed his season as a consequence.

Of those who, under the right circumstances, might feel they can hang on to Cancellara, Alessandro Ballan is still recovering from his off-season accident, Thor Hushovd struggled at the Tour of Flanders, citing a respiratory problem, Juan Antonio Flecha appears to be past his finest years and Filippo Pozzato’s form has gone AWOL again. Of course, Cannondale are not entering Sagan, who will excel in the future at this race (and quite right too that they are wary of over-racing him). If I had to pick a second favourite then, with a great deal of hesitation, I’d say Lars Boom. He didn’t exactly light up Flanders either, however.

Hushovd keeps an eye on Cancellara in the 2011 race (Photo: Isaiah Jay & Patrick Kenny)

There is a gulf of class behind Cancellara, which opens the door for perhaps another surprise podium finisher. After Maarten Tjallingii in 2011 and Sébastien Turgot in 2012, it’s becoming something of a pattern. Bad luck aside, in order for Cancellara to lose, the race has to be anarchic. Think back to the chaotic race of 2011, when Garmin pulled off a tactical masterstroke by slipping Johan Vansummeren into a break and allowing Hushovd to mark Cancellara to destroy his chances. The key point here, nevertheless, is that Hushovd was in brilliant shape. In the White of the World Champion he blazed through the dust almost as effortlessly as Spartacus himself and never let his rival get away until it was too late for him to reach the leading Belgian. Without Hushovd, Vansummeren wouldn’t have won.

So it’s easier said than done to make the race as hard as possible for Cancellara and his team to control, but other teams have to collectively try and get riders in large numbers up the road early. They may be fighting the inevitable, but better to go down with a fight. Having said all that, it’s Paris Roubaix…it’s not going to be a straightforward race for anyone involved. Who knows what Sunday will bring I’ll report back next week!

Podium Prediction: 1) Fabian Cancellara 2) Lars Boom 3) Taylor Phinney

Other names to watch: Jurgen Roelandts, Matthieu Ladagnous, Sébastien Turgot, Damien Gaudin, Ian Stannard, Alexander Kristoff and John Degenkolb

Tags Attack, Cycling, Fabian Cancellara, Johan Vansummeren, Lars Boom, Paris-Roubaix 2013, sports, Thor Hushovd, Velodrome

Categories Classics

Preview: The 40th Tour Méditerranéen

February 6, 2013 //

David Moncoutié won four times on the famed Mont Faron (Photo: Lisa FEILLU)

David Moncoutié won four times on the Mont Faron during his career (Photo: Lisa FEILLU)

I’d been hoping to do both a Tour Down Under preview and review last month, but it turned out that I had time for neither. Instead, here’s a preview of a much older race, the Tour Méditerranéen.

Set up by 1966 Tour de France winner Lucien Aimar in 1974, The Tour Méditerranéen is a short early-season stage race that runs along the Mediterranean coast. The Tour Med, as it is often abbreviated, has boasted winners of the calibre of the likes of Eddy Merckx, Gerrie Knetemann (a three-time winner) and Tony Rominger. Traditionally the queen stage concludes on the feared Mont Faron above the city of Toulon, with its gradient averaging 9%.

Last year Britain’s rising climbing star Jonathan Tiernan-Locke won two stages and the overall in Part 1 of his French demolition run. It wasn’t an edition without its problems, however: Mont Faron was cut off the final stage itinerary due to snow, and the race nearly didn’t go ahead at all because of a dispute between the French Cycling Federation and the race organisers. Aimar has since stepped down as organiser, but with a stellar cast for the 2013 Tour Med, this is a race that looks from the outside to be now in rude health.

Route

The peninsular of Sète (Photo: setevacationrental.com)

With no stage profiles published, I’ve had to rely on road maps and a bit of Google Street View to get to grips with the route.

Stage one travels from Limoux to the seafront at Gruissan. Almost certainly this will be a sprint finish, although the wind will likely play its part. The second stage is a curious one: a 24km individual time trial from Cap d’Agde along a thin land strip to its neighbouring seaside resort, Sète. You may remember Cap d’Agde as hosting the stage finish of the Tour de France last year on Bastille day. The stretch from Cap d’Agde to Sète is so exposed that you may think this is for powerhouse time trial specialists. Only, the organisers have thrown in a joker card and decided to place the finish on top of the hellishly steep Mont Saint Clair, which was also used on the Bastille day stage. The results will be interesting this day, because it’s near impossible to predict who is capable of winning a stage like this.

Stages three and five run over rolling terrain with some tricky, twisty climbs that could provide launchpads for attacks. The stage that will have the greatest say, however, is of course the fourth to Mont Faron. At five kilometers the climb is no giant, but it’s only natural that some big time gaps will form and you can be sure that a very strong climber will take the stage – and with it the overall.

Profile of Mount Faron (climbbybike)

Startlist

Thomas Voeckler (Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Europe)

It’s fair to say that the starting field is considerably stronger than last year’s. France’s most beloved star Thomas Voeckler leads the Europcar team alongside Pierre Rolland. Both have a habit of starting season’s strongly, so this pair could work well as a two-pronged attack. The young French climbing sensation Thibaut Pinot starts for a very strong FDJ team that includes Pierrick Fédrigo and the two riders who recently decimated the opposition in the Étoile de Bessèges time trial, Anthony Roux and Jérémy Roy. Alexandre Geniez is riding for FDJ for the first time after his switch from Argos-Shimano.

Saxo-Tinkoff are bringing a very strong team to the race and their new recruits Nicolas Roche, Roman Kreuziger and Michael Rogers all start. A bit of bonding for Contador’s new super-domestique mountain train? Other riders capable of overall victory include Andrew Talansky and Dan Martin on Garmin’s roster, Blanco’s Bauke Mollema, AG2R’s Jean-Christophe Peraud, Radioshack’s Robert Kišerlovski, Colombia’s Estaban Chaves, Rein Taaramäe and Christophe Le Mével of Cofidis…take your pick…

Qatar has stolen many of the sprinters and classics riders, but then there is probably only one (almost) guaranteed sprint stage in the Tour Med anyway. Despite this, André Greipel is turning up with a loyal bunch of Lotto domestiques. Italians Mattia Gavazzi, Manuele Belletti and Matteo Pelucchi are perhaps his strongest competition. Meanwhile, two major classics stars start in the form of Lars Boom and Thor Hushovd, who will be hoping that 2013 is nothing like 2012.

Romain Sicard (Photo: velopalmares.free.fr)

Thor Hushovd is not the only starter who has a sizeable question mark over his name. Euskaltel’s Romain Sicard’s story is one of the more perplexing in recent times. Seemingly on course for greatness, Sicard achieved the rare Tour de l’Avenir – World Championships Road Race double in 2009 and had a strong neo-pro season that included 11th place overall at the Dauphiné. Then, things started to go wrong. Sicard’s right leg inexplicably grew much weaker than the left and the 2011 season was practically a right-off. There were promising signs last year, however. For a start, he’s finishing races. This is likely the season where we will see if he will ever be the rider he’d looked to be. Sicard may be listed as the team leader for this race but it remains to be seen whether he will end up working for Mikel Nieve or Ion Izagirre, who has started the season strongly.

Finally, there’s Andy Schleck. It’s debatable whether he should be considered a headline act given that it is extremely rare to see the Luxembourger perform at his best outside the Tour de France, though he should be cut some slack since he is still on the road to recovery from a long injury lay-off. It would not be overly harsh to suggest it’s more likely that Schleck will record another DNF than be in contention to win the race.

On a separate note, I thought I should mention Bryan Coquard. I highlighted Coquard as one to watch in 2013 and it’s been fantastic to see that he’s already got his first professional victories. He took two stage wins at the Étoile de Bessèges and the distance with which he won them both was frightening. He won’t be at the Tour Med, but keep an eye on him in future races.

Tags Andy Schleck, Cycling, Mont Faron, Romain Sicard, Sète, sports, Startlist, Thomas Voeckler, tour méditerranéen 2013, Tour Med

Categories French Cycling

Neo-Pro Watch 2013, Part 2

January 19, 2013 //

Joseph Dombrowski (Sky)

Joe Dombrowski in training (Photo: VeloVeritas)

Dombrowski may not have raced as extensively in Europe as many on this list last year, having ontaken a race schedule in America with Bontrager-Livestrong that included the Tour of California and Tour of Utah. However, he impressed on both sides of the channel with his climbing ability, building on the promise of the previous year when he finished third in both the Ronde d’Isard and the Giro delle Valle d’Aosta.

In May, while the Giro was in full swing, the skinny, fresh-faced American climbed his way to fourth place on the slopes of Mount Baldy, finishing as the best American ahead of the likes of Tom Danielson and Levi Leipheimer. Then came Dombrowski’s Giro, the GiroBio (Baby Giro). It proved to be a climbing masterclass. Dombrowski flew away from his opposition on the Monte Terminillo and Passo di Gavia to win the big two mountain stages, putting minutes into his rivals. It wasn’t going to be made easy for him, however. Dombrowski punctured on a stage that took in the Strade Bianchi and suffered a major time loss as a result, but even with that small disaster he was still able to pull of the brilliant overall victory he craved. Only Fabio Aru was able to hold some resistance to Dombrowski, but even he fell some way short on the climbs.

In Dombrowski, Sky have a rare gem of a talent: a pure climber. Cycling’s new dominant superpower have also brought along Dombrowski’s friend and fellow American neo-pro, Ian Boswell, in a good move that will help both to settle in. Dombrowski loves racing in Italy and dreams of racing the Giro, and a Giro start this year is rumoured. Don’t expect too much too soon for a rider of Dombrowski’s type, but expect big things when he reaches his full potential.

Bob Jungels (Radioshack-Trek)

Devistating power: Bob Jungels (Photo: Nicolas Bouvy)

Paris-Roubaix espoirs is a highly prestigious race for Under-23 riders. It may not always provide an accurate indication of who the next giants of the cobbles are, but it is one of the most sought-after races for those looking to step up to professional level. When Taylor Phinney took back to back wins in 2009 and 2010, he continued a trend of recent editions by winning a small group sprint in the velodrome. In 2011, Ramon Sinkeldam eaked out nine seconds ahead of his closest challenger by the time he’d crossed the line. And in 2012, Bob Jungels won with a margin of 2 minutes and 49 seconds.

That’s probably not a bad way of introducing Jungels. He has an enormous appetite for dishing out pain and on flat and rolling roads he is an overwhelming force. Take stage four of the Giro della Valle d’Aosta last year, when Jungels went on a long solo breakaway and ended up with a winning distance of nearly 6 minutes over 2nd place. It follows that he translates this power into time trialling strength, though he came up short at the World Championships Time Trial this year, only able to make twelfth place, the fatigue of a long racing program setting in. It remains to be seen what kind of rider Jungels will develop into. Jungels took two stage race wins in 2012 – the Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux and Flèche du Sud – and can certainly climb. However, he’s probably more of a classics man: there’s a little bit of Fabian Cancellara in him. Ideal, then, that it is in Fabian’s team that he begins his pro career.

Alexey Lutsenko (Kazakhstan)

Alexey Lutsenko celebrates in his rainbow jersey (Photo: Roberto Bettini)

The new Vino? It’s perfect timing for the Astana team that just as one national treasure retires, a new potential Kazahkstani hero surfaces. The comparisons are there to be drawn, for Lutsenko’s agressive style and all-round ability very much takes after his idol Vinokourov’s. In the Under-23 Road Race in Valkenburg in the Autumn, Kazakhstan showed great faith in their man to win the sprint, putting domestiques on the front in the closing few laps to quash dangerous attacks. Lutsenko duly finished off the job, timing his run to perfection in the sprint and narrowly holding off faster finishers in the process.

Lutsenko had enjoyed a strong run-up to the Valkenburg Worlds, beating new Sky signing Ian Boswell to a stage of the Tour de l’Avenir (where he was a constant presence throughout) and another in the Tour of Bulgaria with the Astana Continental team. He also won a mountain stage of the Giro delle Valle d’Aosta and mixed it with the pros in a Tour de l’Ain stage, winning a group sprint for second place. Lustenko is well aware of the question on everyone’s lips as a result of his Rainbow Jersey, and he doesn’t shy away from the expectation either: ‘Am I the new Vinokourov? Everything is possible.’

Jay McCarthy (Saxo-Tinkoff)

A time trialling Jay McCarthy (Photo: Shane Goss)

If Rohan Dennis was the Aussie that got away, OK, this is the other. Lured by the opportunity to ride under Bjarne Riis at Saxo-Tinkoff, McCarthy joins a team that’s been a good refuge for a number Australian riders over the years. Mirroring the Rohan Dennis-Alan Peiper situation at Garmin (referred to in the previous entry), McCarthy was looking forward to riding under the guidance of fellow Australian Bradley McGee, but McGee is leaving after three years spent as a directeur sportif at the team. Funny how things turn out.

McCarthy wasn’t able to make a strong impression at the Tour Down Under last year like his Jayco-AIS teammate Rohan Dennis, but he did go on to have a very impressive year in under-23 races. He won the Trofeo Piva, took a stage of the Toscana – Coppa delle Nazioni plus fourth overall, and finished second in the GP Capodarco. In the latter he made the not uncommon error of celebrating as he crossed the line, only to later find that there was someone else further up the road. That memory was erased courtesy of a surprise victory in an incredibly tight Tour de l’Avenir prologue. McCarthy had an eye on the overall, but his challenge fell away in the high mountains. It remains to be seen how competitive McCarthy can be on the longer climbs.

McCarthy then went onto the World Championships Road Race, which he had had in the back of his mind all season. Yet in hoping for a select race, disappointment came here too as a strong headwind on the Cauberg meant his attack with Austrian Georg Preidler came to nothing and the race culminated in a sprint. McCarthy begins his 2013 season at the Tour Down Under and he’ll be eager to impress in his home country. In his own words, McCarthy likes aggressive racing and in terms of the future, I’d say he’s a good bet to be a force in races such as the Ardennes Classics in a few years time.

Tim Wellens (Lotto-Belisol)

Tim Wellens in action (Photo: Johan Wellens/Wikimedia Commons)

Wellens comes from the Limburg province in the east of Flanders, but unlike most of his fellow Flandrians, Wellens appears destined for success in stage races as well as in the hilly classics. A solid time triallist and a good climber, perhaps Belgium has found another next Grand Tour prospect to follow in the footsteps of Thomas de Gendt and Jurgen Van den Broeck? Wellens didn’t take a single win last year outside Belgium – the only rider on this list not to do so – but he did come close in the overall at the Toscana – Coppa delle Nazione. Only second to Fabio Aru at nine seconds can be considered a great success in a stellar field. However, Wellens believed that he could and should have won but for an untimely puncture a few kilometers from the end of the final stage, when he had distanced the Italian leader.

Turning professional for Lotto in the second half of the season, the Limbuger rode in the Tour de Wallonie before turning attention to his final Under-23 race, the Tour de l’Avenir. But for stage four, in which he lost the best part of a minute (I assume this was simply a bad day, but there may be circumstances I’m not aware of), Wellens could have had a much higher finish. He showed his class the next day finishing alongisde Barguil, Cattaneo and Chamorro, the top three in the final GC. 10th overall was hardly a fair representation of his talent.

Back riding for Lotto, Wellens was very active in the double-header of Canadian races, the GP de Montréal and the GP de Québec, where he was on the attack, attempting to bridge the gap to the leading breakaway on both occasions. It was his performance in the Tour of Beijing that won me over and made his presence on this list a definite. The Chinese season-ender has far from captured the imagination, but out of necessity for a (rather ridiculous) UCI points system, it is highly competitive. On the final stage, Wellens took fifth on the line and finished tenth overall. Very few riders are capable of settling in to the professional peloton so quickly. Look for more of the same in 2013, because Wellens is, clearly, very special.

Other names to keep an eye on who couldn’t make this list: Nikias Arndt (Argos-Shimano); Natnael Berhane (Europcar); Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox); Mattia Cattaneo (Lampre); Ian Boswell (Sky) Sergey Chernetskiy (Katusha); Joshua Edmondson (Sky); Kenneth Vanbilsen (Topsport-Vlaanderen); Anton Vorobyev (Katusha).

Tags Alexey Lutsenko, Bob Jungels, Cycling, Giro delle Valle d'Aosta, Jay McCarthy, Joe Dombrowski, neo-pro, sports, Tim Wellens, Tour de l'Avenir, Under-23

Categories Young Rider Watch

Neo-Pro Watch 2013, Part 1

January 15, 2013 //

Having selected the most impressive neo-pros from the 2012 season, I’ve decided to draw up a list of some key names to look out for in 2013 and beyond, specifically focusing on riders making the transition from under-23 level. I’ve limited myself to ten and so there are a few who’ve missed out who I feel are still very deserving of a place. That’s testament to what a strong year it is of graduates. I’m specifically focusing on riders who are making the transition from under-23 level to the pro ranks A couple of riders who’ve made this list technically turned pro last Autumn, having been given full pro contracts as opposed to stagiaire trial contracts, but they’ve not had anything like a full season with their professional team yet, so it makes sense not to sideline them for that reason.

Here are the first five names. Part 2 will be up shortly.

Fabio Aru (Astana)

Fabio Aru wins Stage 3 of the 2012 Giro della Valle d’Aosta (Photo: Riccardo Scanferla)

Astana team manager Giuseppe Martinelli has signed up Aru with the utmost pleasure, no doubt anticipating that the young Italian could eventually become the successor of fellow Sicilian Vincenzo Nibali, Astana’s big name signing this off-season. Martinelli’s idea is that Nibali will act as something of a mentor for Aru, a plan that could be beneficial for all concerned. His ungainly, laboured style on the bike may not match up with Nibali’s smoother pedalling, but like ‘the Shark,’ Aru has an eye for both the Grand Tours and the Classics. This is the kind of rider you could imagine riding a full season competitvely à la Nibali.

Aru’s under-23 palmarès is staggering. In 2011, Aru beat his American adversary Joe Dombrowski to win the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, having heartbreakingly lost the Toscana – Coppa delle Nazioni after crashing in the sprint on the final stage, when Aru could be seen pushing his bike across the line in tears. This year Aru put matters to right and won Toscana, and another Giro della Valle d’Aosta for good measure. He was narrowly beaten by Dombrowski at the Baby Giro, but he’ll have time to put that right in his professional career too, I’m sure. Indeed, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if theirs is a rivalry that continues deep into their pro careers.

Riding for Astana last autumn, Aru finished second on a stage in the Tour of Colorado and gained some valuable experience in the late season Italian one-day races. Of all the riders in this list, Aru is probably the likeliest to make an immediate impact, in part because he’s one of the oldest (he turned 22 in July) and thus at a later stage in his development, so it’s worth keeping an eye on him from the outset.

Enrico Barbin (Bardiani Valvole – CSF Inox)

Enico Barbin takes stage 6 of the GiroBio

The diminutive Enrico Barbin joins Fabio Aru as the stand out rider of the lively Italian under-23 racing scene. More of a classics man than a climber, Barbin is strong on short ascents and wins small group sprints for fun. His riding dynamic reminds me of Fabio Felline (who is rougly the same age as Barbin even if Felline has been pro for 3 years already) and certainly they are the same kind of rider.

In the space of one week last season, Barbin took victories in three single day races, including the GP della Liberazione, where he won a three-up sprint from Andrea Fedi and Davide Villella, two season-long rivals. He also won Piccola Sanremo (Essentially Milan-San Remo Espoirs) and a stage of the Baby Giro. Barbin may have a strong sprint, but it is certainly not a pretty sight when he deploys it. When he let’s loose, limbs fly in all directions at an unhealthy speed. In fact, in the Piccolo Giro di Lombardia, where he finished third, his back wheel skidded beneath him and it’s a wonder he managed to stay upright. However, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to correct that during his career, and he starts with a team that is entirely dedicated to fostering young talent: none of their riders are over the age of 25. Bardiani – CSF has a fairly small roster too, so it’s very possible that Barbin could find himself in Milan-San Remo and the Giro d’Italia, amongst other high-level races as early as this year.

Warren Barguil (Argos-Shimano)

Warren Barguil in action during the 2012 Tour de l'Avenir (Photo: James Startt – Agence Zoom)

Warren Barguil in action during the Tour de l’Avenir (Photo: James Startt – Agence Zoom)

Marc Madiot was left highly frustrated at not being able to entice Barguil to FDJ, instead settling for Alexandre Geniez, who appeared somewhat out of place at Argos-Shimano. It begs the question, will Barguil find himself in the same situation? Rather than make an early judgement, Barguil deserves admiration for, like Geniez, choosing to begin his career at a foreign team when so many French riders spend their whole careers riding for French squads (more an observation than a criticism). That says a lot about Barguil’s confidence. And why not be confident? Barguil has been one of the stand out performers at under-23 level over the last couple of years.

This year the Breton headed into the Tour de l’Avenir carrying the weight of expectation and duly delivered, by a tiny one second margin over Juan Chamorro (who was bidding to become the third Colombian in as many years to stand on the top step of the podium). Using his climbing prowess and finishing kick (in style it’s hard not to draw comparisons with Thibaut Pinot) to good effect he won stage 4 and took the yellow jersey, having eaked out the margin that would win him the race. Though aided slightly by the removal of the most difficult climb on the race itinerary, the Col de Madeleine, due to snow, Barguil looked extremely comfortable on the testing final mountain stage and covered the dangerous moves. A month later he indicated that he could perform outside the mountains too, by finishing second in the Paris-Tours espoirs. A big future beckons.

Bryan Coquard (Europcar)

Coquard during the Elimination Race (Photo: AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Young Frenchman Coquard came to the Olympics hoping for a medal in the Omnium event, and his consistency across the board was strong enough for the colour to be silver. The Omnium is an excellent platform for young riders, especially the more sprinty types, and this is exactly what Coquard is. On the track, Coquard’s tremendous burst of speed has been particularly evident, and provides a strong indicator that he can take this gift into the chaotic bunch sprints on the road. In the elimination race (1 round of the Omnium), Coquard was almost unbeatable as he jostled his way through each sprint lap and there was little doubt that unless he made an error, his speed would see him through to the very end. Even Liquigas sprinter Elia Viviani was no match for him in the final head-to-head sprint.

With one season goal ticked off, the other major target was The World Championships in Valkeburg for the Under-23 Road Race, where a strong French team gave him their full support. Even Warren Barguil, fresh from his win in the Tour de l’Avenir, stayed with Coquard on the final ascent of the Cauberg to make sure that he didn’t drift out of contention. In the sprint, Coquard was visibly the fastest, but he’d still had to come from too far back and was pipped by the finest of margins by Alexey Lutsenko. As brilliant as those two results are, Coquard must be left with some regret that he couldn’t convert at least one of those into a win, but that will quickly pass as he turns pro and begins with a clean slate.

Rohan Dennis (Garmin-Sharp)

Rohan Dennis in action during the Chrono Champenois (Photo: Hervé DANCERELLE, www.directvelo.com)

Rohan Dennis in action during the Chrono Champenois (Photo: Hervé DANCERELLE, http://www.directvelo.com)

As far as Orica-GreenEdge are concerned, this is the Aussie that got away. Dennis cited Garmin’s Directeur Sportif Allan Peiper as a key factor in his decision to ride for the American outfit next season, acknowledging Peiper’s experience in mentoring young riders. As it happens, Peiper has been whisked off to a new role as Performance Director at BMC for the coming season, but you nonetheless feel that Dennis is in good hands at Garmin, who have a knack of getting the very best out of their riders. And for Garmin, this is a real snatch, make no mistake.

Dennis had a brilliant season in 2012 that began with winning the Under 23 National Road Race and Time Trial championships, included a silver medal in the London Olympics as a member of the Australian Team Pursuit, and culminated in a silver medal in the time trial at the U23 World Championships. He had gone into that race as the outstanding favourite having blitzed several time trials earlier that year, including the Memorial Davide Farelli and Chrono Champenois in early September, two stand-alone time trials that serve as preparation races for the World Championships. Earlier in the year Dennis wrapped up the Thüringen Rundfahrt – an U23 race won in recent years by Degenkolb and Tony Martin – with a crushing ride in a climbing time trial. Not at all bad.

Make no mistake, Dennis can climb as well as time trial: he was 5th on the Willunga Hill stage in the Tour down Under at the beginning of this year. Look for Dennis to make an even bigger impression this time on Willunga Hill for his new team. He’s coming into the race on the back of strong form in the national championships: he was the only rider to get relatively close to Luke Durbridge in the individual time trial. In the words of Jonathan Vaughters, ‘he will be one of the best riders in the world; the question is only when.’

Tags Bryan Coquard, Cycling, Enrico Barbin, Fabio Aru, Giro della Valle d'Aosta, neo-pro, Rohan Dennis, sports, valle d aosta, Warren Barguil, World Championships

Categories Young Rider Watch

League of Nations

December 19, 2012 //

You can spend hours on Cycling Quotient if you’re not careful. One minute you’re just checking up on Alessandro Ballan’s palmarès and the next thing you know you’re pouring over the results of the Tour de Cameroon. Or is it just me? The result of such obsessive recreational excursions has led to this particular entry, a brief study in the shifting balance of national success in cycling over the last few years. Globalisation – and global trends in general – are a slow process in sport. While the UCI is pushing for the sport to grow in China so that it can open up the Chinese market, it could be, say, twenty years or more until there is a Chinese cyclist winning the biggest races. However, as much as genuine globalisation is gradual, it’s an ever-present movement. It would be fair to say that over the last decade alone, cycling’s cultural core has shifted significantly.

Aside from the World Championships and Olympics, cycling is not a sport which is fought out between countries. Nonetheless, there are still strong national ties. Katusha is very much a Russian squad, Sky very much British, Rabobank very Dutch, and so on. During the Tour de France you see an array of colourful flags standing proudly by the roadside every day. Nationalism, then, is alive and well, as it is in all sports. The point is that ‘success’ has a great deal of national relevance. Riders must prove themselves on a national level before taking on the pro scene, relying on their national platform to support them. What’s more, children grow up inspired by their countrymen. If Bradley Wiggins was inspired by Chris Boardman, who is being inspired by Wiggins right now?

And so onto the graphs. The chart below plots the most successful nations in the twenty-first century against their yearly total CQ ranking scores. It’s worth bearing in mind that post-race disqualifications are taken into account in this ranking. This means, for example, that all the points Contador earned from July 2010 to February 2012 were taken away and reassigned. The only notable exception is that Lance Armstrong’s results are yet to be erased and so still stand at this point. Frankly, I can’t blame the admins for being reluctant to tackle that mess and all its implications. Anyway, here’s our chart, running from 1999 (when the ranking started) to 2012.

Click on image to enlarge

You can see that Italy and Spain have been clearly the top two countries throughout this time period. Italy had held the upper hand, but now Spain has become the more dominant superpower. The slight blip in 2011 can be mainly attributed to Contador’s absence (or irrelevant presence…). The rest is a little cluttered and messy, but there are some clear trends hidden there. This next graph demonstrates that more clearly, using polynomial trendlines which neutralise the yearly fluctuations.

Click on image to enlarge

There are noticable resurgences in the French and Colombian camps, but most striking of all is the Anglo-Saxon rèvolution, of course. Meanwhile, the trendlines imply that Italian cycling is very much on a downward spiral, leaving Spain as the dominant superpower, right? While that is so, you only have to look a little deeper to recognise that this will likely not materialise, or at least it won’t do for long. Yes, Spain is on a high right now with its biggest talents cleaning up some of the biggest races. The likes of Contador, Valverde, Rodríguez, Samuel Sánchez, Moreno and Flecha are all reaping in points. But how much longer are these riders going to be around? Freire has already retired, and the others will be following suit soon enough. All of the aforementioned are in their 30s (Contador turned 30 last Thursday) and those big names aren’t as yet being replaced. Italy, on the other hand, is nurturing a fine collection of genuinely bright prospects that hint at greater things. For this next chart I’ve taken the top five points scorers of 2012 from each country born in the year 1979 or earlier and tallied up their points to show which countries rely most on the older generation.

Click on image to enlarge

There it’s plain to see how strong the older generation of Spanish riders is, and how much they could be missed, in time. Italy and France are the next highest, but in comparison probably won’t suffer nearly as much. Great Britain, on the other hand, don’t even make it onto this chart. The next chart should show what I mean when I talk about the younger generation of riders breaking through now. Again, I’ve taken the top five points scorers of 2012 from each country, this time of riders born in 1988 or later. This chart by no means definitively represents the spread of talents across the nations, but it is a pointer of sorts.

Click on image to enlarge

I’ve covered in previous posts some of the young prospects in both Colombia and Italy, and as expected they’re both at the top of the pile.

Next is an experiment. Admittedly, it’s completely flawed to go about things this way, but it’s a bit of fun. I’ve subtracted from the 2012 national totals the number values from the 1st chart (older generation; i.e riders born in 1979 or earlier) and added the values* from the 2nd chart (younger generation; i.e riders born in 1988 or later) to come up with a crude and completely unreliable look into the future.

Click on image to enlarge

Now, that does hold some surprises. Germany the top ranked nation? That I would never have expected. It doesn’t hold much credibility, but it’s not exactly meaningless either.

*These values have in effect been doubled since they already formed part of the initial ranking. The thinking here is that the younger generation will have a greater contribution to their country’s annual totals in the future.

Tags Cycling, Cycling Quotient, Germany, Globalisation, Graphs, Italy, Nationalism, Ranking, Spain, sports

Categories Uncategorized

Top 10 Neo-pros of 2012

November 3, 2012 //

I find one of the most exciting things about following cycling is watching the emergence of young talents and their progression as they strive to become the best of their generation. I’ve picked out ten neo-pros who’ve particularly impressed me and ranked them according to the depth of their impressions. In other words, this list should give you a good idea of who to watch out for in the future, in theory.

The tricky part is clarifying what a neo-pro exactly is. Neo-pro contracts are currently exclusive to riders under the age of 23 (at the point when their contract begins) who have not previously ridden at ProTour of ProContinental level teams. This contract can last for up to two years, so riders like Taylor Phinney and Nacer Bouhanni, for example, were still classed as neo-pro this year despite being in their second year as professionals. However, I’m only considering riders in their first year as professional as part of my ranking. It’s also worth considering that a few riders who you might expect to be here (Henao, Anacona…) can’t be classed as a neo-pro because they don’t fit the age requirements. Feel free to leave a comment if you disagree with my assessment!

10) Luke Rowe (Sky) - Though his maiden professional victory was highly fortuitous, Rowe makes this list for his consistently strong performances at the national tours of Denmark and Britain. Rowe came into the Tour of Britain with a confidence boost, having got himself heavily involved in the sprints in Denmark, and took his opportunity very well for his first pro victory. It was intended that he would lead out Cavendish for the stage win, but when the World Champion hit the tarmac, Rowe only had Boy Van Poppel in his way and duly finished off the job. The following day a miscommunication with Cavendish cost his team another win, but Rowe went on to led out Cavendish for a few easy stage wins and took fifth on his home stage through the Welsh countryside. Sky are particularly sparing in their signing up of young British talent, so it goes without saying that Rowe is a name to watch out for.

Rowe wins the first stage of the Tour of Britain (Photo: Rob Lampard)

9) Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Sharp) – One of the many Kreders, Raymond was highly consistent in the sprinting department, racking up many top 5 finishes throughout the season. Raymond rode many races in conjunction with his elder brother at Garmin, Michel, and the pair proved an effective double act. Ramond helped Michel to two stage wins at the Tour Méditerranéen and continued his strong early-season showing, coming close a couple of times at the Tour de Langkawi. Like Rowe, Kreder took his first professional win in his debut season, and with it a big scalp in the (declining) form of Alessandro Petacchi, at the Tour of Norway. Kreder was entered for his debut Grand Tour, the Vuelta, and placed twice inside the top 10 in bunch sprints, including the sprint finale in Madrid.

Kreder on the Bola del Mundo (Photo: Team Garmin-Sharp)

8) Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano)- It was an excellent first season for the young Dutchman, who excels in both time trials and hilly races. Dumoulin finished sixth overall in his first race of the season, the very competitive Ruta del Sol. He went on to take fifth overall in the Tour of Luxembourg and tenth in the Vuelta a Burgos later in the season. Dumoulin was another neo-pro who was given the chance of riding the Vuelta. Though he abandoned on stage 8, Dumoulin was part of the team that delivered Degenkolb to his three stage wins in the opening week. Argos-Shimano is home to many of the brightest young talents in the sport at the moment and it is very satisfying to see this team growing whilst keeping its strong ethical stance.

7) Andrew Fenn (OmegaPharma-Quick Step) – Fenn made an excellent start to his professional career, winning the back-to-back Trofeo Palma de Mallorca and Trofeo Migjorn to the surprise of many. There were no further wins for Fenn in 2012, but he continued to impress, both in support roles and in the many opportunities Quick Step gave him, such as at the Tour of Beijing (won by teammate Tony Martin), where Fenn finished second to Elia Viviani on the opening stage. Fenn is very much in the mould of another rider who started his career in a Belgian squad, Adam Blythe. Both are powerful riders with a strong sprint, rather than punchy types.

6) Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) – More for his performances than his results, Bardet was immensely impressive in his debut season. It was the Amstel Gold Race where Bardet really caught the eye. Part of the early breakaway, Bardet proved to be stronger than each of his companions and hung on alone at the head of the race until within the final ten kilometers. But he didn’t sit up and roll across the line in his own time; he stuck with the lead group upon being caught and crossed the line in 25th place. Bardet explained after the race that it was a great shock to him that he’d been able to make such an impression on the race with no previous experience. In the Autumn, Bardet repeated his Amstel Gold Race heroics by making the day’s breakaway again and finishing in the top 30 at Il Lombardia. The season as a whole was littered with good results that crept under the radar, from Catalunya to Poland, and a second place in a Tour de l’Ain stage to Thibaut Pinot. Watch out for him next year, for he shall likely shine even brighter in the Ardennes.

5) Wilco Kelderman (Rabobank) – Rabobank – or the white label team if you prefer – have a habit in recent years of producing quality stage racing talent through their development system. Think Gesink, Mollema and Kruijswijk, and now consider adding Kelderman to that list. Kelderman had a solid Tour de Romandie, a strong Tour of California (including seventh place on Mount Baldy) and a brilliant Dauphiné. Fourth place in the long time trial behind only Wiggins, Martin and Rogers was followed up by a strong showing in the mountains, which eventually took Kelderman to eighth overall. Kelderman has the vital mix of time trialling and climbing strength that fits him into the Evans and Wiggins mould. Whether Kelderman is fit to be mentioned in the same company of two Tour de France winners remains to be seen, but the signs are that there are big things to come from the Dutchman.

Wilco Kelderman in the Tour of California (Photo: Rabosport)

4) Esteban Chaves (Colombia-Coldeportes) - The 2011 Tour de l’Avenir was one of many young Colombians to make a strong impression this season. He had a very quiet first half of the season, but the tide turned upon Chaves’ return to Europe after spending time back in his home country to ride the Vuelta a Colombia. In the Prueba Villafranca, Chaves finished in the front group of ten and took second place in the sprint to Gorka Izagirre. Chaves went on to win the toughest stage of the Vuelta a Burgos with a little help from fellow countryman Sergio Henao, who was looking to win the overall, and Chaves finished third in the final GC. Chaves then took the GP Citta di Camaiore, one of the many late Italian classics.

3) Luke Durbridge (Orica-GreenEdge) - You may be wondering how Dubridge can possibly be only ranked third in this list, but that only goes to show how special the performances have been of the two riders who sneaked above him in my ranking. Durbridge made the perfect start to his pro career by taking the national champion’s jersey for the time trial, his speciality. Very impressively, Durbridge managed to win not one, but two French stage races over the course of the season: the Circuit de la Sarthe and the Tour du Poitou Charentes. In both instances, Durbridge dominated the time trial and kept his rivals at bay to keep the overall lead in the remaining stages. The Australian’s best success of the season came at the Dauphiné prologue, when he edged out Wiggins by a single second. Durbridge even managed to book-end the season with a combined victory with Svein Tuft in the two-up Duo Normand time trial. If you can start and finish the season with a win in your debut season as an elite rider, you must be something very, very special.

Luke Durbridge celebrates winning the Circuit de la Sarthe (Photo: Bernard Larvol/circuitcycliste.sarthe.com)

2) Arnaud Demare (FDJ) - If hopes were high when Demare took the U23 World Title in Copenhagen last year in a French one-two, then expectation has soared after the young FDJ rider’s first season as professional. Demare got a bit of luck when he opened his victory account in Qatar in a field of top quality sprinters: hitting the front just as some of the world’s best tumbled behind him. Yet even in that skewed sprint, it was undeniably clear that his turn of speed was mightily impressive. He proved that his Qatar win was no fluke when he went on to win the Belgian semi-classic Le Samyn and added a further two victories in March. Demare was bravely thrown into the Giro and racked up four top ten finishes, including fourth place in one of the sprints on Danish soil. Another victory in the Route du Sud and then the most impressive win of the lot came at the Vattenfalls Classic, where Demare quite simply outsprinted some of the world’s best sprinters, including the most winning rider of 2012, André Greipel. This only a week before he turned 21. Demare went into the year seeing himself as a ‘classics sprinter’ – a surprisingly confident perceptiveness and awareness for a rider still at a relatively early stage in his development – and all the signs are that he is absolutely right. Where Demare will excel best will be in the rugged Belgian one-day races which come down to a sprint of tired legs.

Arnaud Demare wins Le Samyn (Photo: AFP)

1) Moreno Moser (Liquigas) - When I highlighted Moser in an entry earlier this year as a man to look out for in the future, I never could have expected such an astonishing string of results to arrive so soon. Moreno is so frequently referred to as the nephew of the great Francesco Moser, but he is already breaking out of that shadow and making his own name by himself. Moser first took victory back in February at the Trofeo Laigueglia, then won the wonderfully named Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt a few months later. The highlight, however, was most definitely his ride at the Tour of Poland, where he won the overall along with two stages. Winning a World Tour race as a neo-pro is simply unheard of. Moser has shown that he is blessed with a strong balance between climbing and sprinting ability, of which he has both in abundance. If that wasn’t enough, he can even turn out a very good time trial. Put simply, there appears no limit at the present time as to what Moser could achieve in his career. While Moser says that Liège–Bastogne–Liège is the race he dreams most about winning, he also expressed recently hope that he can one day win the Giro d’Italia. Moser is not only a gem of a talent; he’s the future of Italian cycling.

Tags Andrew Fenn, Arnaud Demare, Cycling, Esteban Chaves, Luke Durbridge, Luke Rowe, Moreno Moser, neo-pro, Raymond Kreder, Romain Bardet, sports, Tom Dumoulin, Wilco Kelderman

Categories Top Tens, Young Rider Watch

Giro d’Italia 2013: The Contenders

Paris-Roubaix 2013

A Sunday in Heaven

Preview: The 40th Tour Méditerranéen

Neo-Pro Watch 2013, Part 2

Neo-Pro Watch 2013, Part 1

League of Nations

Top 10 Neo-pros of 2012

Simon Gardner

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