Check out Joao Correia's twitter feed. He's posted a bunch of Cervelo inside video on YouTube (Team unveilling, training rides etc):

http://twitter.com/joaoisme

Cervélo TestTeam invited to Paris-Nice

Cervélo TestTeam officially begin racing
The men and women of Cervélo TestTeam both officially begin racing this week. The men’s team will start with the French five-day stage race Étoile de Bessèges. A few days later the team will line up under the desert sun to compete in the Tour of Qatar.

Men’s Team
The Étoile de Bessèges, held annually in southern France, around Bessèges, will represent the official start of the Cervélo TestTeam season. Please note (!) that Thor Hushovd who was to start his season with this race, is ill and will not be competing as planned.

“We are looking forward to starting in Bessèges, as it will be the first race for our team in 2010,” said
Sports Director Alexandre Sans Vega. “It will give us the opportunity to check our fitness and strength against the other teams, as some of them have already started their season in the Tour Down Under or G.P. Marseillaise. The Étoile de Bessèges is a good race for our riders. It will help them in their preparations, but we will also try to get some results - all our riders will have the freedom to show themselves at their best at the start of the season.”

The team is also returning to the Middle East after last year’s success with the stage win of Roger Hammond (GBR) and with six riders placed in the top 10. Heinrich Haussler (DEU) (second overall last year) and Hammond (third overall last year) will lead the team again. Sports Director Jens Zemke has good memories of the race from last year. “It will be very difficult to repeat the excellent result of our first showdown one year ago,” he said. “We have two new riders in our Qatar squad, Theo Bos (NLD) and Davide Appollonio (ITA); the others are all Qatar experienced. We also want to test our new components and bikes. This race is another big step forward. Our main goal is to prepare our team for a successful spring campaign.”



VeloNation

Thor Hushovd postpones his season debut
Thor Hushovd was scheduled to start the Étoile de Bessèges on Wednesday, but because of a bad cold he will postpone his season debut until the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, which begins February 17.

Hushovd is suffering from a severe cold, with congestion and tightness in the chest. These symptoms generally pass in three or four days, so in theory he could have started on Wednesday, but with an eye on important races later in the spring, he decided it would be better to be 100 percent healthy first and get in some good training days before lining up to race.

"Of course it's boring having to sit out the first race of the year," said Hushovd, "but I think long term and do not want to risk running my body down so early in the season. There are many important races to come. Now I will take the opportunity to prepare well for the Volta ao Algarve in just over two weeks."

Hushovd will start with light training on Tuesday and then increase the training load gradually throughout the week. As of Monday, he will be training at a normal level again. He'll be home in Monaco, where he has both excellent training conditions and other professionals to train with. 



VeloNews
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Etoile de Bessèges (3 - 7 February 2010), Cervélo TestTeam line-up (Update, VN):
Dominique Rollin
Brett Daniel Lancaster
Stefan Denifl
Marcel Wyss
Daniel Lloyd
Edward Carrington "Ted" King
Oscar Pujol Muñoz
João Correia

Sports Director: Alexandre Sans Vega

Lloyd crashes in the final sprint
The first stage (146km) of the Etoile de Bessèges from Aigues-Mortes to Le Grau-du-Ro ended in a bunch sprint. Cervélo TestTeam's Dominique Rollin tried for a result in the sprint but due to a crash by teammate Daniel Lloyd in the last kilometre he did not succeed and became ninth.

"The initial attack came within the first 15 kilometres of today's stage from Julien Loubet (AG2R-La Mondiale) and Floris Goesinnen (Skil-Shimano)," said Alexandre Sans Vega, Sports Director. "They stayed ahead for a long time but the sprinters in the Vacansoleil and Française des Jeux teams, controlled the race and brought the breakaway back in the final kilometre. It was Borut Bozic from Vacansoleil who won the bunch sprint ahead of Nico Eeckhout (An Post-Sean Kelly) and Arnaud Molmy (Team Roubaix-Lille Métropole)."

"We tried to do something in the final for Dominique Rollin but Daniel Lloyd, who was his last man, crashed in the final kilometre and then our chances were gone. Daniel is now at the hospital for observation. Vacansoleil will try to control the race again tomorrow in order to hold onto the yellow jersey, however we will certainly try something when we find the opportunity."



CyclingNews
CyclingWeekly

PEZ Talk: Cervelo TestTeam's Daniel Lloyd, Ready For 2010

Rollin finishes 4th in bunch sprint
Today's second stage of the Etoile de Bességes from Nimes to Saint Ambroix (141km) saw Cervélo TestTeam's Dominique Rollin ride to a fourth place finish. Borut Bozic (Slo - Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) again won the stage, retaining the leader's jersey. The second and third place positions were the reverse of yesterday's finish with Arnaud Molmy (Fra) Team Roubaix-Lille Métropole taking second and Nico Eeckhout (Bel - An Post-Sean Kelly) placing third. The stage finished in a bunch sprint as the riders completed the final 7.3 km with a six-lap circuit in St. Ambroix.

"Today, as we anticipated, Vacansoleil took the lead in the race," said Alexandre Sans Vega, Sports Director, "but it wasn't an easy stage win with many attacks starting right from the beginning of the stage. We also tried to jump into the break but Vacansoleil took control and it was not easy to escape out of the peloton. At approximately 40 km into the stage two riders made it into a break; Laurent Lefèvre (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) and Benoît Vaugrenard (Française des Jeux) but were chased back by the peloton 40 km from the finish line. In the final we came to a fast circuit and a lot of teams tried to attack again on the climb but Vacansoleil was able to control the bunch. The race finished again in a bunch sprint with the same winner as yesterday Borut Bozic from Vacansoleil. As this is our first race we can be happy as we get better and better each day. The most positive thing today was that Daniel Lloyd started the race after yesterday's crash and finished the stage." 



CyclingNews

Rollin top result in Etoile de Bessèges stage 3
The third stage (148.3km) in the Etoile de Bessèges from Pont St Esprit to Bagnols-sur-Cèze was once again decided by a bunch sprint, however today's stage was won by Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis). Dumoulin out manoeuvred Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) who won the first two stages and who still retains the lead in the General Classification. The third rider on the podium was Tom Veelers (Skil-Shimano). Dominique Rollin finished 11th today again posting the best TestTeam rider result.

"Today it was cold and rainy once again," said Alexandre Sans Vega, Sports Director, "The race was really fast from the beginning with a lot of attacks. We succeeded with Stefan Denifl in the day's first break away but he didn't get any support and was quickly brought back in the bunch. Vacansoleil continued to control the race and never allowed a big group to escape. After 60 kilometres there was another break of four riders, but the peloton chased them back with 14 kilometres to the finish line. Though Vacansoleil had control in the final, Cofidis took over and lead Dumoulin to the finish line. Dominique tried it again today and ended in 11th. Tomorrow's stage from Gran Prix d'Ales en Cevennes (140km) will be the hardest stage of the tour. We have a first category climb to look forward to though it is too far from the finish. However it will be a good day for a break and we will try to be there." 



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Sastre in training for season debut in the Volta a Catalunya
For Carlos Sastre Candil, the cold is no reason to stay at home. Nor is the rain. Nor is the snow. "We are used to going out training in these temperatures, although the winter this year is particularly harsh. But all the same, the hams will cure well in these temperatures, and I hope that they will also be good for my legs," said Sastre.

"I am going out on four-hour rides and some days I'm doing six hours with temperatures that at times reach below zero. I also have increasingly less fat to protect me from the cold. Luckily, the clothes we use protect us quite well and keep the body heat inside," he added.

Carlos Sastre is making the most of the fact that the Volta a Catalunya (his debut race this season that start on March 22) is still far off "to try out new material and to do some intense time trial riding sessions." "I have to work on my position to get better results from my efforts," concluded the winner of the 2008 Tour.



VeloNews

Does anybody know if the test team is planning to ride the Montreal/ Quebec UCI races in September?  It appears on their raace calendar in the team section.

Well, then they will most likely ride those races, yes..
Looks like they will ride Amgen Tour of California in May and, Tour de New York and Tour of Missouri in August also!
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Another fourth place for Dominique Rollin
Arnoud Molmy (Roubaix - Lille Metropole) won today's stage, with the start and finish in Alès. Yesterday's stage winner, Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis), initially won this stage and took the leader's jersey but was disqualified afterward due to irregular sprinting. Dominique Rollin was the best-placed TestTeam rider again today, finishing fourth.

"Early in the stage, a group of 12 riders got away, and in this group we had Edward Carrington "Ted" King", said
Sports Director, Alexandre Sans Vega. "They gained a maximum gap of 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Vacansoleil started to chase, and on the first categorized climb they set a fast tempo and dropped some riders, including leader Borut Bozic, who flatted, and some team mates stayed with him. At the same time, Cofidis took over the responsibility at the front, and their rider, yesterday's stage winner Samuel Dumoulin, was able to take the general classification lead from Bozic because the second-placed rider, Nico Eeckhout, had also been dropped already. Cofidis controlled the race in the last 20 kilometers, and we helped them a bit to prepare the sprint for Dominique. But there was chaos in the last roundabout before the finish, because half of the peloton took the wrong direction, including Dominique, and he ended up fourth".

"The finale was quite crazy," said Dominique Rollin "A few guys cut short the roundabout and created chaos in the run-in to the finish with about 400 meters to go. With bad signaling on the last corner, most of the riders took the shortest route, which messed up the finish. I had great legs and was well placed, but with all the confusion I ended up losing spots."

"I was quite happy with the teamwork today," said Sans Vega. "The young riders in particular showed themselves well, and the riders are getting better and better. The last stage tomorrow is on a circuit, and I would guess that it will finish in a sprint. A breakaway will be very difficult, but we will try to do something with Dominique again if he is feeling well." 



CyclingNews
VeloNews

Will there also be an 2010 Bartape.net docu? I can't wait for the 2010 season :D

too bad for the test team today at Qatar..... had to give up 2nd place for an infraction... can they come back from the 1 minute time penalty.  That is a tough one.  Not a great start :-( 

stevo87:

Will there also be an 2010 Bartape.net docu? I can't wait for the 2010 season :D

Hopefully, but nothing is confirmed..
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Rollin finishes top 20 in GC for Cervélo TestTeam
The fifth and final stage (145km) of Etoile de Bessèges took place today from Gagniéres. Niko Eeckhout won the stage, Valentin Iglinskiy took second and Hans Dekkers placed third.

Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) took the overall GC after the leader Arnoud Molmy (Roubaix Lille Metropole) dropped out of today's stage due to sickness this morning. Dominique Rollin who finished in 18th position was the best-placed Cervélo TestTeam rider in the general classification.

"We did not have a good start today, which was similar to other riders from other teams. We had a bad night with sickness.
Marcel Wyss didn't start and Edward Carrington "Ted" King had to stop after 3 km," said Alexandre Sans Vega, Sports Director. "We wanted to put somebody in the break but it didn't happen so we just let Cofidis do the work because they had the new race leader (Dumoulin). So we just followed and tried to do something with Dominique in the sprint but he too was not having his best day today - so no result for us. All in all this was a good preparation race for us. We certainly missed Thor Hushovd, otherwise it would have been a totally different situation."



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CyclingWeekly - Daniel Lloyd fights on in Bessèges, aims towards Oman despite crash
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Cervélo TestTeam disqualified in first stage Qatar
Following their second place finish Cervélo TestTeam were disqualified by the race jury today, after they were judged to have received assistance during the Team Time Trial (8.2 km) at the first stage of the men's Tour of Qatar in West Bay Lagoon. Team Sky won the Time Trial (8.2km) with Garmin-Transition awarded second place. Consequently Cervélo was handed a one-minute penalty. Cervélo TestTeam will continue in the race tomorrow.

"I spoke with Heinrich (Haussler) and Gabriel (Rasch) and they told me that the wind was coming from the right side and to avoid crashing into our team Heinrich was forced to touch Gabriel," said Jens Zemke, Sports Director. "It wasn't done in an effort to make a better time - it was solely done to avoid a crash.

Though it was just Heinrich Haussler and Ole Gabriel Rasch who were involved and not our whole team, nevertheless the commissar thought that this was enough of an infraction and penalized whole team. With our second place result we had a really good chance to ride for the win in this race. The riders are frustrated but we will keep on going." 



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Cervélo TestTeam penalised for pushing in Qatar TTT
Directeur Sportif Jens Zemke, Heinrich Haussler and Gabriel Rasch made a desperate plea to the judges to overturn their decision but the judges refused.

"I touched Rasch but I didn't push him. He didn't gain any advantage," Haussler said, dismayed about the decision.

"I'd just done a turn on the front and was moving back, when the wind blew us together, I put my hand out to avoid crashing. It's a crazy decision but the commissares are the boss of the race."

Zemke initially suggested that the Cervélo Test Team might pull out of the race. However, he eventually accepted the penalty.

"It's a very hard decision. Heinrich pushed him for safety reasons, not to get an advantage, but to avoid a crash. Next time maybe they have to crash..." he said.

peislc:

too bad for the test team today at Qatar..... had to give up 2nd place for an infraction... can they come back from the 1 minute time penalty.  That is a tough one.  Not a great start :-(

The race official aren't showing any common cense, I think it's a ridiculous decision!
And one fu..ing minute, ridiculous, just ridiculous!

it seems unfair for sure, but if the official thought it was a push the rules are very clear, there is no range of penalty, it is 1 minute for all members of the team and fines for the riders involved.  it is unfortunate that the commissaire thought that the push was of the type requiring this judgement, they had to justify if to the chief and jury so it was not likely a one person call.  I guess as they say you have to call them like you see them....????

Strong day for the TestTeam in Qatar
All expectations for the Tour of Qatar were turned upside down in stage 2, as the difficult stage brought some surprising results. Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) and Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil) attacked early, pulled far ahead of the peloton - at one point holding a 23 minute lead - and managed to hold on through the finish. Steurs took the stage win and Mol took the overall lead in the race.

"After the situation from yesterday we didn't have to do anything" said Sports Director, Jens Zemke. "But after 40 km, we had a strong side wind and we brought our riders to the front and bowed up the bunch. After that we were part of a group of twenty riders, six of whom were from TestTeam. Only Theo Bos lost the group, though he finished the race in the second chase group with team mates Davide Appollonio and Ole Gabriel Rasch. Heinrich Haussler, Jeremy Hunt, Andreas Klier, Martin Reimer and Roger Hammond rode the final in the first group and attempted to attack in the final stretch for third place."

With 5 km to go, Roger Hammond launched an attack and Tom Boonen (Quick-Step) tried to follow, but that attack was but quickly pulled back to the group and followed by another attack in the chase group by Heinrich Haussler. Haussler was also pulled back before Roger Kluge (Team Milram) attacked with 200 meter to the finish line, crossing the line in third position. Heinrich Haussler and Philippe Gilbert rounded out the top 5. The rest of the peloton crossed the line in small groups - evidence of the difficulty of the stage.

"I've enjoyed my first race in my new team" said Theo Bos. "I had a pretty good start to the race and was able to be part of the first group after we blew up the peloton with the team. But after a while I had to fall back from the front group. It was a tactical mistake from my side but my legs feel very strong, and I am really happy that I can compete with the best riders in the world. With this experience I can grow further and I am looking forward to the next stages. I am really satisfied with the step I made last winter."

"I think we showed that we don't want to steal a victory but that we want to fight for good results," continued Zemke. "We won't give up; we will show ourselves in the coming stages and try to go for a stage win in the coming days." 

Note:
Cervélo TestTeam is now 2nd in the Teams classification, just 9 seconds behind Topsport Vlaanderen - Mercator Pro Cycling Team!



CyclingNews
VeloNews - Haussler Video


CyclingNews - Haussler: Cervelo will go on the attack in Qatar