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FEATURES: A DASH OF PRE-GIRO NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS
Road Bike Action and AFP
May 4, 2011
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Here's a fresh shot of Bianchi's 2012 Sempre that's equipped with the new blacked-out SRAM Red drivetrain to compliment the matte black frame finish. Other features include the BB30 bottom bracket, FSA SL-K stem and post and carbon crank. Vision wheels mounted with Hutchinson Equinox tires round out the $6,299.00 package. Look for the bike to become available this June. For more info, Bianchi Bicycles.
SPEAKING OF BIANCHI...
Here's a shot of the Alessandro DeMarchi's Team Androni Bianchi Oltre...bella!
Photo: Yuzuru Sunada
WHAT'S ON PETACCHI'S FEET?
To help celebrate Italy's 150th anniversary, Italian shoe maker Gaerne just released this image of the special G Myst Plus shoe that both Alessandro Petacchi will be wearing in the upcoming Giro. Although the G-Myst is a production shoe, we can only hope Gaerne will do a limited edition run of these sweet shoes. For more info, Gaerne Shoes.
MICHAEL CHECKS IN FROM ITALY
Fresh off his 15th place ride at the Sea Otter aboard a Cannondale SuperSix test bike, (Young) Michael White was off on his first trip to Europe where he plans to attend a (still secret) Cannondale 2012 roll-out in Italy and catch the start of the Giro. Well, "YMW" landed and immediately found out what a Euro press junket can be like - welcome to Italy Michael!
"Hi Boys - made it to Italy safe. I'm at the hotel, going to dinner soon. good plane rides and great hotel! The bad news: no wi-fi internet connections in the rooms, so all us journos may end up sharing the hotel's one lone workstation (which I am on now). also waiting on some ethernet cables, which may work in the rooms, but no one is betting on that. I will let you both know when I have things to post to the web... cdale should introduce stuff tomorrow... possibly a bike called the SuperSix EVO... there's FSA branding on some schwag, so maybe a BB386EVO supersix??? time will tell. No phone connectivity, so please email and ill check as often as I can."
Look for YMW's roll-out report whenever he sees the bikes can find some wi-fi.
MEANWHILE, NIBALI & LIQUIGAS ARE PRIMED
Vincenzo Nibali rolls confidently into the 2011 Giro.
Photo: Yuzuru Sunada
Italy's Tour of Spain winner Vincenzo Nibali will spearhead the
Liquigas team's effort in the Tour of Italy starting on Saturday.
"Just one aim - the pink jersey," the Italian team boasted as they unveiled their eight-man team on Tuesday.
Without Italy's 2008 winner Ivan Basso, who is focusing on the Tour
de France, the team will be counting on Nibali, winner of the Asolo
stage and third overall last year.
In the mountains, the Sicilian rider will be backed up by climbers -
Valerio Agnoli, Eros Capecchi and Cristiano Salerno - with his Polish
teammate Sylester Szmyd under orders to go as far as possible with the
team leader in order to achieve victory.
Liquigas team for Giro:
Vincenzo Nibali (ITA), Valerio Agnoli (ITA), Eros Capecchi (ITA),
Tiziano Dall'Antonia (ITA), Alan Marangoni (ITA), Fabio Sabatini (ITA),
Cristiano Salerno (ITA), Sylwester Szmyd (POL), Alessandro Vanotti (ITA)
AND NOW FROM BATTAGLIN
Italian frame manufacturer Battaglin, who draws its name from 1981 Giro winner Giovanni Battaglin, is bringing their line of Italian-made carbon road and MTB frames stateside, with an initial offering of road and MTB models that ooze Italian heritage.
Anchoring Battaglin’s line up is the C13 EVO. The C13 comes with an integrated seatmast and frame weight of 900grams. The frame is spec’d with different options, but if you want to keep the Italian theme going, the C13 is available with Campagnolo Super Record and Record, with BORA ULTRA TWO and ONE CARBON wheels and a FSA K-force carbon handlebar/stem set up and you get a full Italian build.
For more info, Battaglin USA.
MEANWHILE, WHAT'S CONTADOR'S TAKE ON THE GIRO?
Tour de France champion Alberto Contador believes the three-week Giro d'Italia which begins this Saturday could provide the biggest test yet of his status as cycling's most talented stage racer.
Contador returns to the Giro for the first time since 2008, the year he was forced to skip the Tour de France and went on to secure victory in both the Giro and the Tour of Spain.
In recent years the Giro has grown in stature, winning as many plaudits as complaints for its heady mix of flat and climbing stages, some of which have taken place on roads more suitable to four by fours than 10,000-euro bikes.
While Contador awaits a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which could lead to a lengthy doping ban following his positive test last year for clenbuterol, he is focusing on what he believes is his toughest Grand Tour challenge yet.
"In terms of the route, I'm sure (it's the toughest)," said Contador in a statement released by his SaxoBank team Wednesday.
This time, he got the chance to reconnoiter some of the key climbs - a different approach to 2008, when he was called into Astana's team at the last minute.
"There are some pretty big ones (climbs). In 2008, I knew absolutely nothing about the Giro. This year, on the other hand, I know the riders that are going, I know the route, and I've been able to do tailor-made preparations for the Giro. I think the route is much harder this year than the one I rode in 2008, although it's true what some riders say, that the 2008 route was really hard, too. But I still think this one is more difficult."
The three key climbing stages are stages nine, 14 and 20.
The peloton will tackle Mount Etna in Sicily twice on stage nine, while the formidable Zoncolan - which has an average gradient of 11.9 percent and some sections at a lung-busting 22 percent - is the highlight on stage 14.
Stage 20 is a whopping 242 km long and includes the climb - on un-asphalted roads and around 48 bends - to the summit of Finestre, with the race finish in Sestriere.
Contador is not forgetting the race's three time trials. The Giro starts with a team time trial in Turin, stage 16 is a 12.7 km climb and stage 21 is a 32.8 km race against the clock on flatter roads.
"They'll be important, because any seconds you can gain will be crucial," added Contador. "The team time trial though won't have the same significance that it has had on other occasions, like in the 2009 Tour (de France), when it left its mark on the general classification.
"Here, it will serve to create some differences, but it won't be decisive at the end of the Giro. The mountain TT (time trial) has some very tough stretches, and the last ITT (individual time trial) is tough because everybody's legs will be shattered towards the end of the race, and that might tip the balance in the case of two riders being really close in the GC (overall standings)."
AS FOR THE RACE ITSELF....
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