Cervélo TestTeam rider Gerro finished 6th today in the 91 km Melbourné – Frankstoné – Melbourné Classique.

(tongue-in-cheek, don't hate THY)

Nice weather compared to East of France !

Lucky men

Sastre wins Professional Cyclists’s Association race
Cervélo TestTeam's Carlos Sastre Candil is not known for his single-day race success. However on Monday Sastre beat known Classic riders to win the ACP championship, held each year by the Spanish Professional Cyclists’ Association, according to Cyclingnews.com.

At the end of a day’s racing, the 2008 Tour de France champion came out best ahead of riders such as Olympic champ Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne) and Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne), who were second through to fourth.

The points contest got underway with a team time trial. The Xacobeo-Galicia trio of Gustavo Veloso, Carlos Castaño and David Herrero were quicker than Caisse d'Epargne (Valverde, Luis León Sanchez and Iván Gutiérrez) and Fuji-Servetto (Cobo, De la Fuente and Jufré).

Sánchez then won the points race ahead of Sastre and Valverde, but Cervélo TestTeam rider Sastre made his big move in the elimination event. Biding his time and letting the others use up their strength early on, he chose his moment perfectly and rocketed clear.

The others were focussed on not being eliminated and, watching each other for those crucial sprints, Sastre could continue to build his lead. He hit the line well clear of Valverde and Sanchez, who finished third and second respectively behind him in the final overall standings.

Sastre won two stages and finished fourth overall in the Giro d’Italia earlier this season, but fatigue saw him perform below his usual level in the Tour de France. He took a long break after that race but is now building form prior to what he expects will be a strong 2010. Yesterday’s result will boost his morale as he continues to rack up the kilometres.
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Edit:
Happy birthday from me to Brett Daniel Lancaster who turned 30 today, 15-Nov-2009! 

Cuesta carries on past 40
At 40 years old, Íñigo Cuesta López de Castro isn't planning on retiring any time in the near future and after starting his 16th Vuelta a España last September, the man from Villarcayo recently said he wants to ride more editions of his national tour.

"Hopefully, at age 41 I will be there [at the Vuelta]. I have a contract with Cervélo for next year and if the team wants, I will return to the Vuelta; then, after 2010, I'll probably continue for longer, although so far nothing is definite," Cuesta told Spanish sports daily Marca. "People talk about the record of participations in the Vuelta and, although 16 is just a number, I realise that there's some importance in it," he added.


Cuesta's approach is simple - enjoy every day on the bike as much as possible and remember the reasons why he began the sport. It's a large contributing factor to his longevity in cycling. "I maintain the illusion of the first day [on the bike] and so far I can still easily go out and train. On the contrary, I am enjoying the bike. Sometimes I say that I 'look like a kid'.

"And yes, I feel that way when I train because in this sport if you're not careful, you have nothing to do. We must be professional and, like any other job, do our best," he explained.

The other reason he has been riding at the highest level for so long is because his mentality to teamwork correlates to that encouraged by some of the world's best teams. Therefore he's invaluable to any manager who needs a man to get the hard jobs done. "The first thing to know is that cycling is a team sport. And a few days working for each other, for others," said Cuesta. "Success is the result of the work of many people, not just winning."

Edit:

Will Cervélo TestTeam be a UCI Professional Continental next year also?

Haussler to ride Worlds only for Australia
Heinrich Haussler would rather skip the World Championships in Australia next year than ride for team Germany.

The Worlds are "my main goal, especially next year in Australia. The course suits me 100 percent. I know if I have top form, or like I had this year in the Classics, I think I can win there," Haussler continued.



Edit (21-Nov-2009):
Happy birthday to Serge Pauwels, he turned 26 today!   

THY:

Edit:

Will Cervélo TestTeam be a UCI Professional Continental next year also?

 

CTT will make it for sure ... they have the some big star power -  2008 TDF champion and last years' green jersey winner on the roster. BMC has also loaded up with big names. There are some interesting things about the list ... 3 teams registered in Ireland, that's tied with France and Spain and more that the Netherlands, Italy or Belgium. I believe they are all Italian managed with heavy emphasis on Italian riders. I'm guessing it is a tax issue, but maybe there will be a trickle down to Irish cycling. Also interesting, team Androni Giocattoli - registered in Venezuela but based in Italy and run by Italians. The team does seem to have some South American riders (Venezuelans and a Columbian), so I guess its good for the development scene there too. I wonder if Hugo Chavez kicked in some oil money for the payroll .... 

Haussler still hopes to ride for Australia one day
Heinrich Haussler still hopes to one day ride in the Australian national kit, despite the complications of a switch from his current German racing licence. The International Cycling Union (UCI) says that in order to compete for his nation of birth, he will have to drop his German citizenship, a step which Haussler is not prepared to take at this time.

Edward Carrington "Ted" King - Tis the Season!

Lancaster, Cooke to headline Scotty's Ride
Festival to honour Scott Peoples takes place December 12-13
Olympic gold medalist Brett Daniel Lancaster and former Tour de France green jersey winner Baden Cooke are just two of the big name riders who are set to take part in the Scott Peoples Cycling Festival in Shepparton, Victoria. The event honours the life of Peoples, who was killed in a training accident in 2006.

Rider of the Month, looking back on ‘09 with Philipp Deignan
“Winning a stage in the Vuelta is the obvious highlight of the season but completing two Grands Tours taught me a lot.”

 

Cervélo's Canary Islands training camp underway

THY:

Rider of the Month, looking back on ‘09 with Philipp Deignan
“Winning a stage in the Vuelta is the obvious highlight of the season but completing two Grands Tours taught me a lot.”

 

OK, this was THY's last post. Where the heck is he? I was away on vacation during his recent "absence". I thought I went to Disney, but maybe secretly, I went to his chicken farm and knocked him off. Can anyone else confirm this? I thought I saw some guys in my backyard with "D.I.C.K.W.A.D Team" on their jackets (Dutch Intelligence Chicken Koop World Anti Doping).

Hey, use the THY thread already!

:-)