Friday File: Spring Forward to: Strade Bianche, New Race to the Sun & Roma Maxima

I love the dust bowl!
via Giro d'Italia

If Moreno Moser has it his way there just may be a one-two Cannondale finish (like last year) on Saturday's Strade Bianche. Two-time winner, Fabian Cancellara will ride his first classic of the season and does Spartacus have the form to upset the Green Machine? The Tuscan gravel roads will surely test the riders. My pick: The Terminator for the win.

Start List

Racing season gets hot with the 72nd Race to the Sun starting Sunday. I'm liking the new course-no ITT or summit finishes-one of the longest distances, in history, at 1477km. Can you say ... unpredictable. Organizers include four classic style stages over 200km. The Col d'Eze is one of five climbs on the last stage into Nice that will most likely be the pressure cooker stage to determine the winner. Carlos Betancur (Ag2r) along with Romain Bardet can be the one-two ticket to riding success. Both showing early season form; Betancur (Haut-Var) and Bardet (La Drome & best young rider T of Oman). Can it be a French team to win on home turf? No ITT gives an edge to guys like Betancur and Bardet. The terrain will be varied, exciting and hard to predict the winner.

Bottom line the winner will have to be aggressive; do well over the small climbs and descend well. Three guys that come to mind to last the eight stages; Rui Costa, Vincenzo Nibali and Thor Hushovd.



72nd Paris-Nice (March 9-16)

Stage 1: Mantes-la-Jolie — Mantes-la-Jolie (162.5km)
Stage 2: Rambouillet — Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche (205km)
Stage 3: Toucy — Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (180km)
Stage 4: Nevers — Belleville (201.5km)
Stage 5: Creches-sur-Saone — Rive-de-Gier (152.5km)
Stage 6: Saint-Saturnin-les-Avignon — Fayence (221.5km)
Stage 7: Mougins — Biot Sophia Antipolis (221.5km)
Stage 8: Nice — Nice (128km)

Start List

The Italian weekend finishes in front of the Collosseum,

Roma Maxima.

Hopefully without this humorous finish...

Pozzato springs for first?

My pick: Fillippo Pozzato

Start List

So you don't miss any of Stage 1, Paris-Nice...

Don't forget, March 9th...

Spring Forward!

How It's Made - Campagnolo Chains

Have you ever wonder how Campagnolo makes their chains? Here's a look and surprise, made in Vincenza, Italy!

Servizio Corse Strade Bianche

I'm excited. This Saturday's Strade Bianche will provide that needed cycling fix of rolling Tuscan hills, white gravel roads and racing drama. According to race organizers will add two more sectors of white roads to make this course more of a challenge. I believe them. I haven't seen the start list but I'm sure the chosen 'actors' will be well suited for this great cycling performance.

Here's an excellent, but rather short documentary by 341 Production following the Vittoria neutral service on the strade bianche. It's from the 2011 edition but you can feel drama leading up and over the course of this race. What is also unique is the tire change sequence cam, probably the smoothest tire change I have ever witness. The interchange between riders and service course guys are intimate - I believe one rider asking for something to eat. It's in Italian without translation but the appeal is universal. 

Tommeke: The Rise of the Flandrien & The New Flandrien Cycling Cap

A Flandrien finish.

The early classic season racing is well under way... fit for a Flandrien.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was a classic mano-a-mano battle to the line with Ian Stannard outsprinting Grey van Avermaet.

Today, Tom Boonen emerged from a 10-man group, including 4 Omega Pharma teammates, took control and blasted to his first win of his classics season. He did so in dramatic fashion. As the pace revved high by his teammates until the last meters where only the young Moreno Hofland could offer a decent challenge.

Post race class: 

Tom Boonen wearing the cycling cap

photo Cycling Art

Tornado Tom is the first 3-time winner of Kuurne Brussels Kuurne, in fact, Belgian riders have made this Belgian classic their own with 51 victories. This exciting race was cancelled three times due to bad weather. It's well known, Flandrien cyclists take self-sacrifice and grim suffering as a religion. A rite of passage to endure not only the foulest of weather but bad roads and hills strewn with pave with the one goal... to win. Last year it was cancelled due to snow... too bad, as if it could really stop the Flandriens!

Red Dots Cycling proudly introduces the new Flandrien Cycling Cap ...

Up close: Flandrien/Belgium embroidered detail.

photo Red Dots Cycling

Classic finish:

Belgian blue under brim

photo Red Dots Cycling

Ian Stannard: First Flandrien Of The Season

Yogi takes it!

'I knew 300 m would be needed for the sprint, to wind it up a bit.'

- Ian Stannard

The soggy and crashed filled Omloop Het Nieuwsblad came down to a two-man sprint won by Ian Stannard over Greg Van Avermaet (ever the bridesmaid). The only glitch was my online feed,  surprisingly quit as the two gladiators approached the last meters. I missed the sprint and finish but caught it on replay. As for my prediction; my three Norsemen finished: Edvard Boasson Hagen (fine 4th), Alexander Kristoff (77th) and Thor Hushovd (crashed out at 92 km mark). Thankfully the God of Thunder escaped with no broken bones but the aftermath looked disturbing..

Dries Devenyns (8th) gets extra points for the battle harden look.

via Giant Shimano

Stannard cockpit

via Peloton Magazine

Results.

Tomorrow is Kuurne Brussels Kuurne and many of the players will be back to do battle on the cobbles - looking forward to watching it!