Rocacorba Daily
by Matt de Neef
NEWS & RACING BROUGHT TO YOU BY GIORDANA
In this morning's edition of the Rocacorba Daily news digest: UCI still waiting for Padova file from CONI, keen to see any relevant Astana information; Jack Bobridge to attempt the Hour Record; Rohan Dennis declares hour record bid – "It is within reach"; Renshaw, Meersman, Bouet and Velits amongst Etixx – QuickStep team for Santos Tour Down Under; Alberto Contador – I could have died in Tour de France crash; Taylor Phinney aiming for Tour of California comeback; Luke Durbridge on his wind tunnel testing and TT position; FSA confirms electronic drivetrain development; Bianchi reveals celeste Oltre XR2 for Lotto.NL-Jumbo; The Secret Pro returns; Coffee with a Champion – Darren Lapthorne; GCN's Essential Cycling Tips Part 2.
UCI still waiting for Padova file from CONI, keen to see any relevant Astana information
by Shane Stokes
One week after the UCI announced its Licence Commission had decided to give a probational WorldTour licence to the Astana team but that it might yet be stripped away if further evidence emerged against the team, the governing body has said that it is still awaiting what could be crucial information in the matter.
Speaking to CyclingTips on Thursday, the UCI said that it had been unable to start assessing the Padova allegations due to an ongoing delay in receiving the information.
"We are asking almost on a daily basis for the file but have received nothing yet," UCI spokesman Sebastien Gillot told CyclingTips. "We understand that CONI have asked for clearance to hand it over from the prosecutor but there is no word yet on that. We have no idea how soon it could come.
"It is in everybody's interests for this to be done as soon as possible. As soon as we can get it, we will assess it and see what information is there. We hope we can do that soon."
Gillot also confirmed that the number of WorldTour teams would stick at 17 for next season after Europcar was turned down for a place in the top league due to a shortfall in budget.
Click here to read more at CyclingTips.
Jack Bobridge to attempt the Hour Record
by Wade Wallace
Jack Bobridge, the world record holder in the individual pursuit, has announced that he'll be tackling the Hour Record in 2015.
Jens Voigt set the new benchmark in his last outing as a professional cyclist but his effort was surpassed and the current record, held by Matthias Brandle, is 51.852km.
Bobridge, 25, recently signed for the Continental outfit Budget Forklifts in 2015, and will set out to be the first Australian to hold the record.
After a mixed five years at WorldTour, Jack Bobridge has shifted his focus and will work towards what he hopes will be team pursuit gold on the track at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Details of Bobridge's attempt at the Hour Record will be announced today along with his preparation towards the event. Stay posted for more.
Rohan Dennis declares hour record bid: "It is within reach"
Meanwhile, another Australian, BMC's Rohan Dennis, has announced that he too will attempt the hour record, in February 2015.
Dennis will use the velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland, approximately 100 kilometres northeast from where the current holder Matthias Brandle set his own mark in Aigle in October.
"When I look at my experience on the track and the numbers I have been doing on the track and on the road, it is within reach," he said, speaking about the record of 51.852km. "As long as I don't get too excited at the start and control my nerves, the pacing will take care of itself."
Other riders expected to attack the record next year include Alex Dowsett, Jack Bobridge, Thomas Dekker, Alex Rasmussen, Rasmus Quaade and Bradley Wiggins. Dowsett is tipped to announce his bid on Friday. Sarah Storey confirmed this week that she will aim for the women's mark in 2015.
Renshaw, Meersman, Bouet and Velits amongst Etixx – QuickStep team for Santos Tour Down Under
The Etixx – Quick-Step team has unveiled a solid squad for the upcoming Santos Tour Down Under, with Mark Renshaw representing its hopes in the sprint finishes and a number of other riders set to challenge on the harder days and possibly in the overall classification.
"We have a good team for any situation," said directeur sportif Rik Van Slycke. "Guys like Gianni Meersman and Mark Renshaw, for example. Mark is also Australian, which brings a little extra motivation that can play a role in the sprints. He even won the Down Under Classic in 2007, and won the first stage of Tour Down Under in 2008.
"Meersman can also take advantage of specific kinds of sprints, such as in a small group. For the climbs we have David De La Cruz, Pieter Serry, and Maxime Bouet. Bouet did a good race last year, but crashed two days from the finish which prevented a top finish. We are sure they can arrive focused and ready to contribute on the climbs such as on Willunga Hill."
The programme begins on January 18 with the People's Choice Classic. The Santos Tour Down Under begins two days later and runs until January 25. The Etixx-QuickStep line-up for the race is: Maxime Bouet (FRA), David de la Cruz (ESP), Yves Lampaert (BEL), Gianni Meersman (BEL), Pieter Serry (BEL), Martin Velits (SVK) and Mark Renshaw (AUS).
Alberto Contador – I could have died in Tour de France crash
Alberto Contador remains philosophical about the crash that saw his Tour de France hopes dashed in 2014, saying that he was lucky to get away with only a broken tibia.
"When I think I was going 77kmph at the time and I only broke my tibia, well, on balance, that's good," Contador told the BBC. "Maybe I lost the Tour, but I didn't lose my life."
Speaking to the BBC, Contador admitted the crash was his fault.
"A lot of people have spoken about the crash and said things that aren't true," he said. "What I will say is you've got to concentrate for every second on the bike or you won't win the Tour.
"At that moment, I relaxed, I looked ahead, saw the road was clear and reached back into my pocket to get something to eat. That's when I hit something in the road, my bike jumped and I lost control."
Contador has said that he believes Chris Froome is the favourite for next year's Tour de France.
Click here to read the full story at Cycling Weekly.
Taylor Phinney aiming for Tour of California comeback
It's been seven months since Taylor Phinney (BMC) crashed heavily at the US national championships and badly broke his leg and still the American is battling his way back to full strength.
Speaking to Cyclingnews at the BMC training camp in Denia, Spain, Phinney said he'd hoped to be back in form to defend his Dubai Tour title in February. But the Tour of California in May is now looking more realistic.
"It's hard to think that far on and completely miss the Classics, but I did a number on myself," Phinney said. "It will be an almost entire year removed, and that's a long time."
The leg Phinney broke is reportedly four centimetres skinnier than the other, and still lacks full strength and range of motion.
"I will put everything into coming back and doing it healthily and sustainably, where I can have a life with an operational limb after my cycling career. I had a conversation with the doctor where he said, 'Hey, you can push and you can come back, but if you push too hard you can give yourself an arthritic knee for the rest of your life after the age of 30'."
Click here to read more at Cyclingnews.
Luke Durbridge on his wind tunnel testing and TT position
At a recent wind tunnel testing session at Monash University recently, RIDE Cycling Review's Rob Arnold caught up with former Australian time trial champion Luke Durbridge to talk about time trial positions and what adjustments the West Ausralian had made to his position.
Image: Matt de Neef
RIDE: You've just been in the wind tunnel and did a few experiments. What do you take home from the little lesson at Monash University?
Luke Durbridge: This is my third time in the tunnel but I always find every time I go in that I get to take away a little bit more. This time, I think I've got my position quite dialled. As you could see there were a few areas there that I changed, going lower, to higher, to medium, to wide, to narrow… but I think my position is pretty good as it is and maybe I might make a slight adjustment here and there.
But it's always a tricky one, the wind tunnel – there's being able to produce it in the tunnel and being able to produce it on the road.
RIDE: When you do the position testing in the tunnel and you transfer that to the road what are you using as mental reminders of the exact spot to put yourself in?
Durbridge: I have a couple of reminders. One is my eye angle. I'll never look too far into the horizon because that'll bring my head too [high] up, so I'll look just above my aerobars, just enough to see a couple of hundred metres in front. And then I also have to have a marker with our Scott helmet. Generally with whatever helmet I have, I'll have a little marker of where the good position is and I can feel it in the middle of my back.
You can read the full interview in issue #66 of RIDE Cycling Review, on sale now. Disclosure statement: RIDE Cycling Review is currently advertising with CyclingTips.
FSA confirms electronic drivetrain development
Component manufacturer Full Speed Ahead (FSA) has confirmed that it is currently developing a complete drivetrain set-up, but denied rumours that it had a ProTeam sponsorship agreement in place for 2015.
According to VeloNews, three separate industry sources told the website that Etixx-QuickStep has a contract, but FSA has denied such rumours.
"Every year there are rumors about the FSA groupset, but we are not ready yet," FSA marketing manager Gloria Radaellitold VeloNews. "I can say that in 2015 we are not going to sponsor officially any teams with a groupset."
Specialized will again sponsor the team in 2015 but there are further rumours that Etixx-QuickStep could be switching to Shimano groupsets soon. As VeloNews writes, it is possible that the FSA drivetrain could be compatible with Shimano's Di2 system.
Click here to read more at VeloNews.
Bianchi reveals celeste Oltre XR2 for Lotto.NL-Jumbo
Bianchi has revealed the paint scheme of the Oltre XR2s that the new Lotto.NL-Jumbo team (formerly Belkin) will ride in 2015.
Image: Bianchi
The bikes are the same as this year, as too are the components, but the paint job returns to Bianchi's recognisable celeste, rather than the green and celeste of this year's Belkin Bianchis.
Click here to read more at road.cc.
The Secret Pro returns
It's been a while since we've published The Secret Pro's column and we're happy to announce that it's back. With the 2015 season only a few weeks away and pre-season training camps in full swing, he talks about team bonding, his feelings about Astana, the shortening of Grand Tours, and much more.
Click here to read the latest post.
Coffee with a Champion: Darren Lapthorne
Here's Matt Keenan's latest Coffee with a Champion interview ahead of the Australian Road Nationals in January. This time he's talking to 2007 champion Darren Lapthorne. Enjoy.
Disclosure statement: Cycling Australia is currently advertising with CyclingTips.
GCN's Essential Cycling Tips Part 2
From fuelling correctly to using your gears, here are some tips that GCN claims will make your everyday cycling experience better.
The Rocacorba Recap
And finally this morning, here are a few things you might have missed at CyclingTips:
The Secret Pro: Bonding, Astana, unions and the season ahead
Your training questions answered with Dig Deep Coaching: part five
Rocacorba Daily: Wednesday December 17
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Today's feature image was shot in the Dolomites by Jered Gruber.
Tags: 2014 Tour de France, 2015 Australian Road Nationals, Alberto Contador, Astana, Bianchi, CONI, Daily News Digest, Darren Lapthorne, FSA, GCN, Gianni Meersman, hour record, Jack Bobridge, Lotto.NL-Jumbo, Luke Durbridge, Mark Renshaw, Maxime Bouet, Peter Velits, Rohan Dennis, Taylor Phinney