Friday File: Horsepower, Timmy Duggan, Les Grimpeurs, Vuelta & USA Pro Challenge

Rollin horsepower to La Vuelta!

They will be two cycling events I'll be following with interest..

Tomorrow starts the 67th edition of La Vuelta and I'm glad Canadian Dominique Rollin (FDJ-BigMat) is riding and will have the chance to show his rouleur skills to power his way in the sprints and breakaways. His bad Giro experience, hit by a Vancasoleil car, knocked him off his bike with injuries. If that wasn't enough, on the monster Stelvio stage on the Passo del Tonale, he was DSQ for hanging on to the team car. However, the horse from the north is back and revving up the horsepower to win a stage. If he does, he moves into pretty good company with compatriot Ryder Hesjedal (stage victory in 2009).

La Vuelta starts Saturday with a 16.2km team time trial in Pamplona. To starve off some of the oppressive heat, the race respectfully starts at 7 pm local time. I'm going for the precision and experienced time trial squad of Garmin-Sharp to win and have the first Roja Jersey!

An excellent signing!

via cyclespormanagement.com

Steve Bauer's Team SpiderTech keeps on getting stronger with the excellent signing of Timmy Duggan for 2013. I was having my usual second morning coffee and read it off my twitter feed and nearly jumped with excitement. After riding for two years with Liquigas-Cannondale, the US National Road Race Champion signs for 3 seasons with Canadian Team SpiderTech. It's a great move for Duggan riding with familiar faces and helping the Pro Conti team on their goal to achieve 2014 WorldTour status. The ever optimistic Steve Bauer said it best,


We've had a great 2012 and are excited about 2013 with some real fireworks ahead!

Enjoy La Vuelta!

If Chris Froome falters, look up to SKY with two Colombian cards up their sleeve to play in this mountainous Vuelta... Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran for stage wins and podium.

Another favorite climber is 37 year old David Moncoutie (Cofidis) and he will be back to tackle and try to cement another Vuelta KOMs classification. He's back from his Tour de France crash and had to abandon on stage 16. With that behind him, Moncoucou looks ahead to win his 5th KOMs jersey and a stage win... I think he'll Reign in Spain!

Moncoucou wins his fourth KOMs, 2011 Vuelta...

Can he win the blue polka dots for a fifth time?

Monday starts the USA Pro Cycling Challenge and it will be a climber's heaven; 9 mountain passes, 42,000 feet of combined elevation. Here's the starting list and I will be watching this one on the Tour Tracker and it will be a mountain of fun!

UCI Road World Championships Sept. 15-23rd

Limburg, Netherlands.

Re-introducing the team time trial!

And as the weekend heats up, it's hitting 30C here, I hope everyone gets the chance to go out and ...ride!