The Other Spaniard: Joaquim Rodriguez Elevates to Elite Status for 2011

Joaquim "Purito" Rodriguez is one of those riders that seems to fly under the radar when talk about cycling's truly elite riders comes up. Despite the fact that he has won classics, grand tour stages and national championships, Rodriguez nevertheless gets short shrift when compared to his fellow countrymen Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde. All that could change in 2011 though, as Valverde is currently serving a doping ban and Contador may be on the shelf for two years as well for drug cheating. With his "Purito" nickname, Rodriguez seems the perfect foil to the tainted reputation of Spanish cycling.

Rodriguez had an amazing 2010, finishing the season as the world's #1 behind solid rides in the classics and the grand tours. He wasn't able to win any huge races save a stage at the Vuelta, but all of the indicators are there to suggest that he'll one day soon appear on the top step of a classics podium. After strong 2nd place finishes at La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege within the past two years, Rodriguez is right on the edge of greatness. Now instilled with the confidence of a world #1, he should be able to find ultimate success in 2011 at one of the three hilly classics.

As the undisputed leader of the Katusha squad, Rodriguez should get good support in both the classics and the grand tours in 2011. And if Contador ends up suspended, Rodriguez will suddenly hold status as the most dangerous Spaniard on two wheels. He possesses a combination of skills that allow him to adapt to a variety of race situations. He is comfortable on long grand tour climbs, punchy classics inclines and even up and down rolling courses. In short, he is truly an all-around threat worth of world number one status.

After a breakthrough 2010 campaign, the secret is out on Joaquim Rodriguez. The defending world #1 ranked rider won't be able to sneak up on anyone in 2011; he'll be expected to ride at the front in races he is hoping to contend in. Yet despite the enormous pressure that he'll surely feel, Rodriguez has a golden opportunity to cement himself at the top of the heap in Spanish cycling. His preparation begins now. Providing he repeats the results of his 2010 season, Rodriguez will have his pick of a huge contract for 2012.

Ultimate Pro Cycling Turkeys: 5 Riders the Cycling World Could Do Without

Alexander Vinokourov
"Vino" is like a cheap wine: tasty for the first sip, then gradually sickening, leaving you with a splitting headache the morning after. An unapologetic doper and generally arrogant personality, Vinokourov deserves no place among other professional cyclists. True cycling fans and savvy media will continue to boo the Kazakh until he finally fades from the sport. Watching him win Liege-Bastogne-Liege last year was sickening, as was seeing him in the Maglia Rosa at the Giro. Thanks goodness he didn't win that race too.

Stefan Schumacher
Schumacher put up a weak defense upon being caught for doping, and today insists, like all other cheats, that he just wants to leave the past in the past and resume his career. A phony bald-headed lout, Schumacher thinks only of himself as he tries to forge a second career after having served his suspension. Hopefully he won't find a ride at a big time team and be forced to ride in obscurity at the second level for the remainder of his career. If he does return to the highest level of the sport though, he likely will never regain the status he held as a cheater. Without dope, he'll be pack fill.

Danilo Di Luca
Di Luca disgraced his home race so many times it is hard to keep track. And he has been sanctioned not once, but twice for doping offenses. Now he claims that he wants to show it is possible to win without doping? How would he know? He has NEVER ridden clean! And what ever happened to a lifetime ban for second offenders in cycling? Di Luca should be banned from the sport for life, he should have no right to return. Hopefully the Giro d'Italia organizers don't allow him to race ever again. They'll send a clear message to future cheats and at the saem time encourage other race promoters to exclude Di Luca form competing.

Michael Rasmussen
The "Chicken" is clearly at the end of his rope after not being offered a contract by Bjarne Riis' Saxo bank team. Blackballed for his past lies, Rasmussen is too old to be considered a legitimate option for any team truly trying to win. He still has not come clean regarding his lies and so doesn;t deserve an ounce of pity. Had he come out right away and admitted his wrongdoing perhaps the public would have rallied to his side, but with continued lies he compells us to ignore his plight. Goodbye and good riddance to another cycling cheat.

Davide Rebellin
"Tin Tin" Rebellin was one fun rider to watch before he was caught cheating at the Beijing Olympics. A true student of the game, Rebellin made up for with brains what eh lacked in pure talent as he carved out a successful career as a hilly classics specialist. But all of those brains were nowhere to be found after it was discovered he had been cheating. Another rider caught in the CERA trao, Rebellin offered no explanation for his positive, instead silently serving his ban. He'll hope to return in 2011, but hopefully no teams will be willing to give him a chance. Out with the old, in with the new, there's no room for a now 39 year old ex-doper Rebellin.

As you sit down tomorrow and prepare to eat your fair share of turkey, say a silent prayer that the above turkeys are soon out of cycling. The sport is cleaning up and the last thing it needs are past cheats sullying its improving image. hopefully 2011 will see all of the above riders permanently jettisoned from the sport.

5 Big-Time Pro Cyclists That Could Be Gone After 2011

Robbie McEwen

McEwen has seemed past his prime for a number of years now and 2011 could be the year that the Aussie finally hangs up his cleats. He has been largely ineffective since the 2008 season and at 38 years old he is very long in the tooth as well. for the upcoming season he'll ride as a part of the Pegasus team, where he'll notch his name as a charter member of the most ambitious Australian cycling project ever. His involvement with the team is a nice cap to an illustrious career, and he can probably expect a job to be waiting for him with the team upon his retirement announcement. McEwen will be remember for his fiery demeanor on and off the bike, his ability to win with little or no team help and his no nonsense approach to the media.

Oscar Freire

Oscar "El Gato" Freire could probably keep going after 2011, but all signs point to the Spaniard retiring at the end of the season. The sprinter has done about all there is to do in the sport, but he still wants one more shot at the world championships. If he can win the rainbow jersey one more time he'll become the only rider ever to accomplish the feat. Freire had an excellent 2010 season including a huge win at Milan-San Remo, so clearly his top end speed and endurance are still there. Always fragile though, Freire seems continuously in danger of being knocked out by sickness throughout the year. Like McEwen, Freire will be remembered as a rider who won on his own and on his terms, as an extremely versatile rider who was difficult to detach on short climbs and flat finishes alike.

Christian Vande Velde

CVV is still fairly young at only 34 years old, but cycling has been hard on both his body and his mind, especially in recent years. The Illinois product has hit the ground too many times to count in past seasons, and even he has allowed that finding the motivation to continue has been difficult. For 2011 he'll be a part of a completely reshaped Garmin-Cervelo squad, one that will focus more on the classics and sprints than the grand tour general classifications. This new dynamic could work one of two ways for Vande Velde: Either the lack of pressure allows him to fly free at the Tour or his motivation collapses with the lack of support in the three week tours. If it's the latter, expect him to say goodbye to the sport at the end of the season.

George Hincapie

Big George has forged a Hall of Fame career over the 16 years he has been a professional. He began his career as a pure sprinter before tailoring his approach to the northern classics, and specifically Paris-Roubaix. Hincapie has been as close as 2nd in the "Queen of the Classics", but he has never been able to capture a win in his favorite race. Still, he has three national championships to his credit, four Tour de France stage wins and two semi-classics. Once he does retire, he'll be remembered as one of the best riders in the history of American cycling. The last three seasons for George have been good but not great, and an ever younger BMC team looks to be passing the torch to their younger riders. Hincapie will likely guide Taylor Phinney through his first classics season before handing him the reigns in 2012.

Jens Voigt

Jens Voigt, as the Chuck Norris of cycling, could probably ride for another decade if he wanted to. in fact, it's hard to imagine him ever retiring. Still, the German is certainly slowing down as he approaches his 40th birthday. He'll join up with the Schleck brothers at the Luxembourg Cycling Project in 2011, which will likely mark his final season in the pro peloton. Voigt has had an amazing career, making a name for himself with his long-range attacks, unwavering loyalty and tough as nails racing style. Voigt's greatest personal accomplishment must be his five wins at the Criterium International event along with his multiple Tour de France stage wins.

These five riders, when they do eventually leave the sport, will leave a gaping void in terms of talent, personality and professionalism. If they all do retire after this season the 2012 cycling season will be missing five of the more engaging personalities in the sport today. All worthy of Hall of Fame status, they each deserve a hero's send off once they finally do call it quits. for now though, we all can enjoy them racing their bikes, if only for one more year.

Is Damiano Cunego a Has-Been at 29 Years Old?

Damiano Cunego won the overall title at the Giro d'Italia in 2004, yet he heads into the 2011 season as a has-been on the stage racing scene. After breaking into the professional ranks with huge wins at that 2004 Giro, Cunego began a gradual slide into obscurity, culminating in a winless 2010 and a public demotion by his Lampre bosses. Now clearly the second option in stage races behind new signing Michele Scarponi, Cunego holds uncertain status for 2011 as he looks to get his career back on track.

Cunego has allowed that stage racing will no longer be his goal as he'll instead prepare to try to win the biggest one day hilly classics in 2011. He notched top ten rides at both the Amstel Gold race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, so "Il Piccolo Principe" is still clearly a one day commodity, but if he fails to cross the chalk in first place again in 2011 he likely be jettisoned by Lampre management and labeled a washed up rider.

Pro cycling can be a very cruel sport. One year you're at the top of your game, the next your relegated to outsider status, the next your completely written off. Further, it's a sport that favors the young. The older you get and the less you win, the less confidence put in you by both your fans and management. Cunego is faced with a ton of pressure for 2011, as he desperately needs a few wins to restore the faith of his tifosi and his directors.

Cunego will be afforded full support in the biggest hilly spring classics this coming season, but if he shows poorly at Milan-San Remo and then again at the Amstel, Lampre management may decide to back Scarponi for the remaining two classics, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Scarponi has finished in the top ten at both the above classics and his form should be excellent heading into the Giro. If Cunego isn't careful, he could find himself reduced to the role of domestique less than mid-way through 2011.

Now that his career has ground to an almost halt, tough questions must be asked about Cunego's past performance. How does a rider who won the Giro in convincing fashion suddenly become a rider unable tom follow the fastest riders in the high mountains? How does a rider once as feared as Alejandro Valverde in small group sprints become punchless as he heads into the prime of his career? Cunego has never failed a doping test, but could it possible that he doped earlier in his career? he recently adopted a very strong anti-doping stance. Could that have coincided with his lackluster results? His palmares would suggest that this is at least a possibility.

Whether he doped or not at this point doesn't matter. What does matter is what results he can manage in 2011. At 29 years old the time is now for Damiano Cunego, there is no tomorrow. He needs to ride like he did at the dawn of his career or else risk losing his status as one of cycling's elite riders.

The New Santos Tour Down Under: Sprinter's Season Launch Pad

When the Santos Tour Down Under started more than 10 years ago, it was an obscure stage race scheduled essentially in the midst of pro cycling's off season. Viewed more as a training vacation than an actual race, the Tour Down Under held little prestige among the world's non-Australian top professionals. Today though, things are drastically different for the Australian stage race, as it now holds sway as the true beginning of each cycling season.

Now designated as a Pro Tour race, the Tour Down Under is guaranteed a solid field year in and year out, as all 20 Pro Tour teams are compelled to field line ups for the race. And as its popularity has grown year over year, so has its prestige. A stage win now means far more than it did years ago, and the result is more active an exciting racing throughout each stage.

Another interesting development in recent years is the fact that many of the world's best sprinters are using the Tour Down Under to start their season. Never was that fact more true than for 2011, when the very best fast finishers in the world will line up to contest the week long event. Confirmed names as of today include mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar and defending champion Andre Greipel, ensuring that the level of competition will be fierce for stages and the overall.

Andre Greipel, as defending champion, will have his work cut out for him if he is to become the first ever rider to win th eevent three times. The German signed on with the Omega-Pharma team for 2011, leaving HTC in search of undistupted leadership in the season's biggest races. He'll get his wish beginning in Australia, and unlike in previous seasons he'll also experience a heavy dose of pressure from team management to deliver wins throughout the year. Greipel undoubtedly has the skill to get it done in the sprints, but how he handles pressure will be key in determining his success. He'll get his first shot at glory in Australia as he tries for stage sand the overall once again.

For Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar, coming to the Tour Down Under makes sense as they look to lay solid foundations for other early season goals, including the Milan-San Remo monument and European stage races like Tirreno-Adriatico. Also for Covendish is the added motivation of beating Greipel, his former teammate and now rival. The two have never liked each other much, and so it will be interesting to see who notches the first win against the other. expect the tension to be high from the gun as each tries to establish dominance over the other.

As we get closer to the actual date of the event, more big names should emerge as starters for the Santos Tour Down under. Greg Henderson will probably ride, as will Robbie McEwen. Although it is early in the year perhaps even Oscar Freire will decide to ride. One thing is for sure about tis year's Tour Down under: a stage or overall win in this year's race will be well earned by whomever comes out on top.

Matti Breschel 2011: More Opportunity, More Pressure for Rabobank Classics Leader

Matti Breschel heads into the 2011 cycling season at a career crossroads. After a productive stint as a part of Bjarne Riis' CSC/Saxo Bank squad, Breschel made a bold move for 2011, signing on with the Dutch Rabobank team to spearhead their early classics efforts. Breschel moves over to the Rabobank team with big expectations on his shoulders. He'll be expected to contend in the biggest early season races as well as ride strong in the grand tours in support of Rabobank's stage racing stars.

At 26 years old, Breschel's move seems a smart one, as he'll join a Rabobank team in great need of a spring classics talent. After a few years studying under Fabian Cancellara and other strong Saxo stars, Breschel should have the tactical savvy needed to read the always difficult cobbled classics. Physically too he has developed and is heading into the prime of his career. Now, the only two limiting factors in front of Breschel seem to be ability to manage pressure and assimilating to a different team management structure.

Unlike Bjarne Riis' Saxo team, the Rabobank team structure is a much less hands on one. Riders are left more to themselves to prepare for the season at Rabobank, while at Saxo Bank Bjarne Riis has his riders participating in team-building survivor camps ahead of the racing season. If Breschel can manage himself in a responsible fashion he will be OK, but having come from such a structured environment could cause troubles for a suddenly largely on his own Breschel.

The other possible limiting factor for Breschel in 2011 is the enormous pressure that he will feel come March. At Saxo he was at best a 2nd option in the season's biggest races. At Rabobank though he'll be option number on at the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and perhaps even the Amstel Gold race. If he fails to deliver big results early in the year he could find himself the target of heavy criticism from both his team managers and the rabid Dutch fanbase. Key for Breschel will be a strong pre-season build up with an all out approach for the cobbled classics.

Ironically, had Breschel remained with Riis he probably would have enjoyed similar leadership responsibilities within the now stripped Saxo squad. Cancellara is gone along with most of the other strong one day Saxo riders, and had Breschel stayed he would likely have had his pick of big races he wanted to target. It was not meant to be though, so now Breschel will strike out on his own as a part of a new team and within a new structure.

At this point in his career, Breschel will surely go one of two ways. 2011 will either see Breschel firmly establish himself as one of the world's best spring classics threats, or he will go the way of Nick Nuyens, becoming an also-ran over the next few seasons. Big pressure can sometimes lead to big results, but only if an athlete is truly ready to shoulder the responsibility of leader. for Breschel, 2011 will reveal if he is ready or not.

Liquigas Cycling 2011: World's Strongest Stage Racing Team?

The Liquigas team had an amazing 2010 season, placing riders on the final podium of two of the year's three grand tours. Ivan Basso took first overall at the Giro d'Italia with a dogged effort over the three week race, and his teammate Vincenzo Nibali scored an impressive third overall in his home race. A few months later Nibali won his own grand tour after an amazing performance at the Vuelta a Espana. Heading into the 2011 season both Basso and Nibali are back, putting Liquigas at the top of the heap for stage race contenders. Also returning will be Franco Pellizotti, who was cleared of suspected doping toward the end of the 2010 year.

Basso, after having served a two year suspension for doping seems to be back at the top of his game. Gone is the explosive time trial and the "extra-terrestrial" climbing ability, replaced by a never-say-die grinding approach in the mountains and a loss-limiting time trial style. Basso isn't nearly as dominant as he was before his ban, but his victories are far more believable.

Franco Pellizotti experienced a mostly lost 2010 season as he battled doping allegations. However, in a rare instance he was cleared of doping after establishing through science that his values were naturally occurring. Still a part of the Liquigas team, Pellizotti will look to get back on track in 2011, resuming his place within the Liquigas team as one of their stage race leaders.

Vincenzo Nibali meanwhile is on his way to becoming one of the top three stage racers int he world. The "Shark of the Strait" experienced a breakthrough 2010 campaign, and is undeniably the brightest young stage racing star in the Liquigas camp. Like Basso, Nibali is not scintillating in the high mountains, but he makes up with grinta what he lacks in pure talent. Now a grand tour winner, Nibali will have greater influence within his team concerning the races he rides, setting up the only looming problem for Liquigas brass: how to manage the aging Basso, the returning Pellizotti and the quickly rising Nibali.

One solution for Liquigas may be to give each rider a shot at winning a grand tour. Basso won the Giro last year and has stated that he would like to try for the Tour title this year, which would seem to clear the way for Nibali at the Giro. Pellizotti meanwhile will likely need the first half of the season to regain race fitness, so a shot at the overall at the Vuelta would seem a good fit. When the dust settles on the 2011 season, it could be Liquigas that holds all three grand tour titles.

Another approach would be to go with a two-pronged attack at each race. Allow Nibali to try to win the Giro supported by Basso in May. Then in July bring an on-form Basso to France along with support mate Pellizotti. Then march an upward trending Pellizotti and recharged Nibali into Spain in the fall, giving the stronger in-race rider leadership after the first week of racing. Using this approach would afford the team more opportunity should one of the three crash out or suffer bad form. Plus, it would seem that all three would be fresh enough in each race to make a significant impact.

The Liquigas team has a nice problem facing them in 2011. They have three top-flight stage racers where other teams usually only have one. And while all of the talk this off season seems to center around the Luxembourg Cycling Project and Alberto Contador, the lime green Liquigas crew are already prepping for the 2011 season. Like in 2010, the 2011 season could see Liquigas quietly dominate the stage racing scene once again.

The Return of the Chicken: Will Michael Rasmussen Sign On with Saxo?

Rumors have been circulating that "The Chicken" Michael Rasmussen may soon sign with Bjarn Riis' Saxo bank team. Riis for his part has denied that he is pursuing Rasmussen, yet the rumors persist. Rasmussen has basically been out of competition since being booted from the Tour back in 2007, and at 36 years old one must wonder if the Dane has any chance left of making an impact at the pro level.

Bjarne Riis, in less than a year, has gone from having one of the world's best pro line ups to having to desperately scrounge for talent among an anemic recruitment pool. The 1996 Tour winner inked Alberto Contador for 2011, but with the Spaniard facing a two year ban for doping Riis finds himself with few options for results in 2011. Only young Nicky Porte seems capable of flying the Saxo flag, but even he is a risky bet considering his relative lack of experience.

So enter Rasmussen. Previously one of the world's best pure climbers, perhaps Riis knows something about his fellow Dane that the rest of us don't? Riis has a keen eye for talent and seems to be able to wring results out of riders when others couldn't. Perhaps Riis thinks that with few options in 2011 he should take a gamble on Rasmussen in hopes that the former Tour de France KOM champ can regain his stature in the high mountains.

Whether true or not the Riis-Rasmussen rumors show just how far Riis' team has fallen over the past calendar year. Once a juggernaut loaded with young and already developed talent, the Saxo squad is a skeleton of its former self, comprised mostly of domestiques. If they are to realize even modest results in 2011, it will be their sprinters who will have to deliver, namely Baden Cooke and JJ Haedo. Either way though, the 2011 season will be, at best, a transitional one for Bjarne Riis' squad.

Sky's the Limit? Can Brad Wiggins Ever Regain 2009 Form as GC Threat?

Brad Wiggins had an amazing 2009 Tour de France riding as a part of Jonathan Vaughter's Garmin-Slipstream cycling team. The lanky British all-arounder came into the 2009 Tour as a relative unknown and he was not expected to ride high into the GC picture. In fact, it was his teammate Christian Vande Velde that was being tipped by both Garmin management and the press to lead the team in the GC hunt.

However, as the stages unfolded Wiggins continued to limit his losses and successfully follow wheels. Suddenly, instead of being considered only as a time trial specialist, Wiggins was among the best climbers in the world, managing to hold the pace on the steepest climbs. By the time the Tour ended, Wiggins owned 4th place overall on the GC, an amazing performance seemingly out of nowhere.

After his strong Tour ride, expectations and speculation increased exponentially. Wiggins himself spoke of wanting to try to win the Tour in the coming years, while his coach Jonathan Vaughters stood behind his rider, looking forward to developing his talent further in the coming seasons. Unfortunately for Vaughters though Wiggins took his services elsewhere for 2010 to the newly formed Britich Sky cycling team.

Sky blasted onto the pro cycling scene in late 2009 claiming that they planned to be a huge player on the International cycling scene in the coming seasons. Behind a slew of strong signings, the brash British outfit talked tough heading into the 2010 season, promising that they would mix it up with the best right from the start. And in the beginning of the season, they did just that, delivering strong performances in the early spring classics, including winning the Omloop Het Niewsblad behind a strong solo effort from Juan Antonio Flecha.

With Flecha's win the pressure slightly reduced for the Sky team and Wiggins was left to quietly ramp up for the tour. He granted several interviews leading up to the Tour, always claiming that his preparation leading up to the Tour was flawless. He was ready to ride with the best once again in the biggest bike race in the world. Unfortunately though, once the actual racing started it became obvious that Wiggins was far from ready to deal with the accelerations of Andy Schleck, Alberto Contador and the rest of the top GC men at the 2010 Tour. By the first week he was out of the running for the overall title and by the end of the Tour he was mired far down the classification, in 24th place more than 39 minutes behind the winner.

With his 2010 Tour a disaster, Wiggins looked to explain what happened. But perhaps his new boss Dave Brailsford put it best: Wiggins just didn't have the fitness to contend in the 2010 Tour. Like it or not, whatever Wiggins did to prepare for the 2010 Tour didn't work and his stock as a GC threat has fallen as quickly as it rose just a year ago.

The big question now is whether Wiggins can ever expect to contend again at the Tour or whether his 2009 ride was an anomoly. In looking at his palmares, it is clear that besides his 2009 Tour ride Wiggins has not garnered many big time results as a pro, particularly in stage races. Sure he has won a few time trials in the grand tours and he did notch an overall win at the Sun Tour in 2009, but besides those results his resume is bare. The argument could be made that riders like Levi Leipheimer, Mick Rogers or even Luis Leon Sanchez have better pedigrees for winning the Tour than Wiggins, yet none of the three have ever seriously been considered as favorites for the race.

Interestingly, Rogers has signed on with the Sky team for 2011 and will likely be a co-captain with Wiggins at the 2011 Tour. It will be interesting to see how Wiggins adapts to having to once again share leadership with a fellow rider. Once thing is sure though: Should Wiggins suffer another poor outing at this year's Tour, he'll be considered nothing more than a time trial threat for future years. Amazing to think that within the course of one calendar year Wiggins has gone from a rising GC star to a vulnerable team leader on a team built around him.