Contador Pretty in Pink with First Giro d'Italia Win

Contador and Astana showed why they should be included in every grand tour

Alberto Contador did what many doubted at the beginning of the Giro three weeks ago: win the Giro d'Italia. Behind strong support from his Astana team and shrewd tactical riding, the Spaniard was able to take his second grand tour without ever winning a a stage. Italians Riccardo Ricco, Danilo Di Luca and Emanuele Sella tried valiantly to dislodge Contador throughout the race, but were unable to turn the 25 year old away. With the victory, Contador put to rest any doubts about his status in the professional peloton. He is the best stage racer in the world, and can win even without ideal preparation for a particular race.

The revelation of the 2008 Giro, Sella took three stages, the mountain green jersey and a top ten overall

The talk must now shift to whether Astana will receive a belated invite to the Tour de France. They have shown themselves more than capable of competing on short notice, and would be a potent addition to the world's biggest bike race. Even more important, leaving the Astana team out of the Tour would decrease the legitimacy of the winner's ride. Sure the winner of the Tour would be deserving, but fans and pundits alike will mark the fact that the world's best stage racing team wasn't present.

Ricco whined and complained throughout the Giro about everything from faulty equipment to bad roads to lack of team support, earning himself a reputation as a sore loser and egotistical complainer

Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme is faced with a tough decision: stubbornly stick to his guns and deal with the media and public backlash, or bow to Astana's superiority and appear at the mercy of the teams. Either way, the Frenchman will have regrets about his decision as he deals with a problem, that for better or for worse, he created. A suggestion from EuroPeloton to Mr. Prudhomme: swallow your pride and find a way to include the Kazakhstani squad. You'll regret it for the entire year if you keep them out, and you'll doubtlessly have to deal throughout this year's event with questions from the media and fans alike.

New Maglia Rosa Alberto Contador: Giro Game Over?

Alberto Contador now holds the maglia rosa after having put in a good performance climbing in the Dolomites. He rode an excellent individual time trial on Sunday, and although he didn't win the 'race of truth,' he did ride well enough to ensure that the pink jersey stays in his and Astana's hands into the final week of the Giro. He'll now look to recover over the next few stages, before the final mountian showdown later this week.

The Spaniard's competition now must ponder the inevitable: Alberto Contador is not easily dropped in the mountains, and not easily defeated in the time trials. He is a cagy, tactically sound rider competing for one of the best stage race teams in the world. He'll have excellent support from teammates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden in the high mountains, and the best equipment money can buy in the time trials. Barring a catastrophe, Contador should arrive in Milano the winner of the 2008 Giro d'Italia.

Contador's strong time trialing skills will make it hard to beat him now that he is ahead

But not so fast, say the Italians. Danilo Di Luca, Franco Pellizotti, Gilberto Simoni, and Riccardo Ricco know the Giro's roads like the back of their hand, and will be waiting for the ideal moment to attack. Also, being from the same country, the above mentioned riders also may decide to form an alliance with each other to ensure that Contador doesn't win. After all, it has been 11 long years since a non-Italian won the Giro (Pavel Tonkov, Russia, 1996), and each of the Italians in the race will do all they can to keep the foreigner from winning.

Tonkov was the last non-Italian to win the overall title, back in 1996

The next few days will provide some much needed recovery time for each rider as they plan for the final week of action. Huge tests await the field in the Giro's final week, and the overall winner will truly be the one who has ridden the most consistently throughout the three week tour. Contador will use all of his resources to outwit and outride the competition, and it will be a difficult task for any rider (or team) to unseat the new patron of the professional peloton.

Giro Mountain Time Trial on Tap, Favorites Flex Form

The mountain time trial course, though only 12 kilometers long, is more than long enough to create big time gaps

The much anticipated mountian time trial takes place today at the Giro d'Italia, where current maglia rosa Alberto Contador will look to gain time on his rivals in the race against the clock. His closest adversaries, Riccardo Ricco, Danilo Di Luca, Dennis Menchov, and Gilberto Simoni, will hope for good results in the race of truth as they strive to wrestle the jersey away from the super Spaniard.

So what will happen? Who will win? No one can be sure, but one thing is for sure: as steep as the race is, if one is not on a good day, they will lose huge time. Likely the results on the day will show Contador, Ricco and Simoni close to each other, with Menchov and Di Luca slightly further back. Contador should be able to pick up some time on his rivals, and he'll be keen to take as much an advantage as he can so that he can defend in the high mountains later in the week.

For wildcards on the day, keep on eye on the red-hot Emanuel Sella, winner of the last two stages, and the American Levi Leipheimer. The Californian is well down on the GC, and he'll be keen to try to take a stage of the Giro to add ot already filled palmares. And if Andreas Kloden is on a good day, we could see the podium swept by Astana, signalling their hostile and sudden takeover of the 2008 Giro d'Italia.

Giro Mountains Loom, Contador Sounds Off

According to cyclingnews.com, 2007 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador feels Gilberto Simoni has the best chance at overall victory in this year’s Giro. A Johan Bruyneel managed champion tipping a rival as the favorite. Sound familiar? Fans will remember that Lance Armstrong used the same tactics year after year in the Tour de France, citing Jan Ullrich and others as ‘bigger favorites’ than he, even though he managed to destroy the field year after year.

Contador’s voluntary giving of his opinion should scare the devil out of the rest of the GC favorites, as it was no doubt an attempt to deflect the pressure off himself and the rest of his Astana mates. However, anyone who has been following the race knows just how strong the entire Astana team is riding. Contador’s teammates Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden are both close to the top of the overall, and each is more than capable of climbing in the high mountains.

Like he has done in the past, Bruyneel has likly told his Astana squad to lay low until it counts—and then, as one of my favorite cycling fans would say (he knows who he is), “lower the boom.” Expect Astana to begin controlling the Giro today, and possibly take the pink jersey as well in the process. Whether it will be Kloden, Leipheimer or Contador is anyone’s guess, by EuroPeloton’s money is on the Spaniard to show well, and possibly win on one of theis year's hardest Giro stages.

Giro Time Trial Stage 10: Contador Arrives

Contador showed his superior time trialing skills again at the Giro d'Italia 2008

After the dust had settled on the 10th stage of the Giro, one name stood above all others as the biggest talking point: Alberto Contador. Last year's Tour de France champion blazed the individual time trial course, slotting the best time of the day among the GC contenders. Riding on a fractured elbow, the Spaniard showed why he is so dangerous. An amazing climber capable of quick accelerations on the steepest ramps, Contador also possesses the ability to take time out of his rivals in the time trial discipline. And he did it again at the Giro, alerting the field and the cycling public that he is a contender in this year's Giro, no matter what he or his team say.

Unlike riders like Riccardo Ricco or Gilberto Simoni, who hope to limit their losses in the time trials, Contador uses them to further increase his lead. He'll be tough adversary for the Giro field the rest of the Tour, a will his Astana team. The other two leaders of the team, Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Kloden, remain toward the top of the GC battle, as the American is about two minutes behind Contador, and teammate Kloden only a minute. As was predicted, the Astana squad will govern the tactics for the rest of the Giro, with three cards still to play.

Other surprises from stage ten? For positive, look no further than the aforementioned Simoni, who conceded only 54 seconds to Contador, and now sits comfortably in 10th place, only two minutes behind Contador. He'll have a chance if he can make Contador suffer in the high passes. For some, the time trial was decidedly negative. One such rider was Danilo Di Luca, who lost 2:03 to Contador, and now lies about a minute and a half from Contador's time. He is still well within striking distance, but he'll need to ride strong in the mountains to have a chance at the overall.

As usual, a time trial in a grand tour has shuffled the deck and revealed the true contenders of the race. Some are better off than others, but very few of the GC riders are out of the competition. All this and more should make the final week and a half at rhe Giro one of the best in recent memory.

Giro Rest Day: Ricco Hot Topic on Giro Rest Day

Riccardo Ricco is one of the hot topics at the Giro, according to Podium Cafe. Ricco, already having earned the nickname "The Ego" from the Podium Cafe fanbase, is being called out by his fellow countrymen as well, including defending Giro champion Danilo Di Luca. "The Killer" seems to feel that Ricco will lose significant time in the uphill time trial to Astana's Andreas Kloden, who has been quiet thus far in the Giro. However, Di Luca too has a good chance on the course, and should contend, as well as several others.

"Il Falco" Paolo Salvodelli will be one of the favorites in the Giro's first time trial

Even Ricco himself isn't conviced of his chances in the time trial, saying "If I lose two minutes, that would be good. I’ve worked a lot on the time trial over the winter, so I am anxious to see how I will do . . . riders such as Savoldelli, Contador, Menchov and Leipheimer will take time on the climbers; there will be other stages to recuperate the lost time."

Don't be so sure, Ricky.

Simoni will find the going tough in the individual time trial

Of the four names mentioned, Contador, Menchov, and Leipheimer are legitimate climbers capable of defending in the high mountains. Contador will be battling through a small fracture on his arm, which could hamper hisability to maintain an aerodynamic position, but Menchov and Leipheimer are at 100%, and will be ready to ride. Ricco should be careful what he claims, as the brash Italian's statements may one day soon fall on deaf ears.

Kloden knows how to suffer in the time trial discipline

In all liklihood, the upcoming time trial will eliminate several GC riders, leaving them too far from the lead to come back. Expect Simoni, Ricco, Karpets, and Nibali to take significant losses on the time trial, while Salvodelli, Di Luca, Leipheimer, Pellizotti, and Vande Velde should have decent rides. Even if Kloden or someone else wins by a significant margin, there is still plenty of racing---and climbing---left in the 2008 Giro d'Italia.

Astana Giro Bound After Late Invite Comes Through

Trek bikes will once again be at a grand tour, as will Levi, Alberto, and Andreas

RCS Sport, organizers of the Giro d'Italia, have reportedly extended a last minute invite to the Astana team for the upcoming Giro d'Italia. Astana, although not ideally prepared, will still be a great addition to the race. Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, and recent Tour of Romandy winner Andreas Kloden will all be in Italy for the start, to contest the three week grand tour.

Of the three big guns on Astana that will be racing in Italy, Kloden is probably on the best form currently. But expect Johan Bruyneel's team to keep all of their options open, until one of thier star riders definitively shows they are the best for the overall. Kloden will be motivated and confident after his Romandy win, while Leipheimer and Contador will no doubt ride into form during the race.

The introduction of the Kazakstani team creates an entirely new dynamic for the Giro, as race tactics will change drastically with their inclusion. The peloton will have to mark each Astana rider closely, as all three of their team leaders are capable of changing a race on one stage. When the road tilts upward, it will be a real chore for the other teams to control the race, as Contador, Leipheimer and Kloden are all explosive talents. Each will be able to play their own hands on the high mountains, to the peril of the other teams.

So the only remaining question is why did RCS change their minds and suddenly invite Astana? Could this have to do with the UCI's recent announcement that a 'top rider' failed the biological passport program? Could the rider in question be one of the protagonists for the Giro? And if so, will one of the teams invited to the Giro be suddenly uninvited? The next few days should answer most of these questions, as the year's first grand tour prepares to commence this coming weekend.

Astana Out of TDF as Race Organizer ASO Drops Bombshell

Gone from the 2008 Tour will be the turquoise and yellow colors of the Astana squad

As it has been widely reported, team Astana, that of 2007 Tour de France Champion Alberto Contador and third place finisher Levi Leipheimer, has been barred by the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the organizer of the Tour de France, from competing in the 2008 edition. Tour director Christian Prudhomme cited the team's past as the reason they were excluded. "We remember what happened in 2006," Prudhomme told Reuters. "Then came 2007 with a new team who asked us to trust them. We did that and paid dearly for it."

Race director Pudhommes decision to bar Astana will not sit well with many fans, especially those in America following Leipheimer and Horner

The implications of ASO's decision will have profound affects on the 2008 version of the race. Without the powerful Astana team to dictate the tactics of the race, controlling the peloton will probably be done by committee, with 2007 runner-up Cadel Evans's Silence-Lotto team being left to control the pace along with other contenders like Caisse d'Epargne, Rabobank and possibly even the Italian team Lampre.

Evans will hope he has to form to hear his nation's national anthem played in Paris in 2008

Also dramatically affected will be the final outcome of the race. Contador and Michael Rasmussen (since kicked off of the Rabobank team) were the two best climbers in the 2007 edition, and were the only ones to put Cadel Evans under pressure. Now that Contador is out, other climbers will be able to try to attack the race at their pace. Some riders besides Evans that should be considered possible winners of the 2008 Tour are Damiano Cunego of the Lampre squad, Alejandro Valverde of the Caisse d'Epargne, and Dennis Menchov of Rabobank. Either way, the 2008 edition will be an open, unpredictable race from start to finish.

If Cunego can continue to improve his skill in the time trial, he could make a run at the GC in the 2008 TDF

Pro Tour Teams Worst Fears Realized As Astana, Credit Agricole, Others Left Off 2008 Giro Start List

2008

The organizers of the 2008 Giro d'Italia, RCS Sport, announced on Friday that Pro Tour teams Astana, Credit Agricole, Bouygues Telecom and High Road would not be tendered invites to the 2008 Giro d'Italia. This is in stark contrast to last year, when all three Grand Tours were required to invite all Pro Tour teams. Also absent in 2008 will be Stefano Garzelli, the 2000 winner, as his Aqua & Sapone squad was passed over in favor of Barloworld, Tinkoff, Slipstream, and LPR, among others.

"The Killer" will have his chance to spray the champaign again in 2008, as his LPR team gets the Giro nod

Astana seemed shell shocked, as spokesperson Philippe Maertens expressed. "We are extremely surprised," he said, as the Astana team boarded a flight out of Alburqueque following their training camp and team presentation. "Our team management is currently trying to contact Zomegnan ..."

Alberto Contador and the Astana team got a chilly reception from Italy that followed them all the way to Alberqueque. Could the Tour de France be the next Grand Tour to dis the champ?

The French teams, however, were seeing things in a different light. Bouygues Telecom and Credit Agricole explained that without having to send a team to Italy in May, they would instead be able to focus on getting good results in other races, such as the Clásica Internacional a Alcobendas, the Volta a Catalunya, the Bayern-Rundfahrt and the Four Days of Dunkirk events, all which coincide with the Giro.

Little Tommy Veokler and the Bouygues Telecom team will have to find other races to hone their form ahead of the July Tour de France after being left out of the 2008 Giro

For Aqua & Sapone, there is no such optimism. An Italian sponsored team, missing the Giro will be a huge dissapointment for Garzelli and the rest of the team. At 34, his years of turning the pedals in anger are coming to an end. He'll instead have to hope for a wild card at the Tour, which is unlikely.

Glory Days: At 34, the chances for victory for Garzelli are running out. Here he takes a stage win ahead of Bettini and Mazzolini at last years Giro

The precedence set by the Giro organizers could lead to a similar situation in France. Perhaps Christian Prudhomme will feel that teams with questionable pasts should be punished for positives in previous years. This is a controversial perspective, as both High Road and Astana are under new management, and are among the most tested teams in the professional peloton. But if this proves to be Prudhomme's view, expect him to invite the lone French continental team Agritubel (Christophe Moreau, Romain Feillu), as well as the Italian LPR team (Danilo Di Luca, Paolo Salvodelli) and the British Barloworld (Mauricio Soler, Robbie Hunter, Geraint Thomas, Baden Cooke) squads. Slipstream, providing that they shine in the early season, should also expect to secure an invite as well.

The young neo-pro and next great French hope Romain Feillu (23 yrs old) likely will fly the flag for team Agritubel in the 2008 Tour de France, along with new teammate Christoph Moreau

In the end, this could end up sending a strong message to all teams that not only will individual riders be sanctioned and punished, but the teams themselves will be penalized as well. Team management will have to think long and hard about the riders they contract each year, taking into account that a positive test could affect them into the next season. And those teams that manage to avoid doping positives will be rewarded with the invites to the biggest events. Drastic measures are required for drastic times, and RCS sport has launched the first silo in the new war against doping.

No mercy: Giro race director Angelo Zomegnan made no apologies for leaving four Pro Tour teams and a former overall winner (Garzelli) out of the 2008 edition

Astana To Miss the Tour de France in 2008? TDF Works To Keep All Dopers Away

With rumors circulating that the Astana team and others may be left off of the Tour de France's invite list for 2008, let's take time to consider the implications of such a decision.

First and foremost, last year's champion, Alberto Contador, would miss his chance at defending his title, which he won dubiously when multiple race leaders/contenders were kicked out of the Tour last year for doping related suspicions. Contador would like nothing more than to defend his title and put to rest any doubts about the worthiness of his 2007 win. With the exclusion of the Astana team, this would not be a possibility.

Contador (left) and Valverde (right) may not get a chance to contest the 2008 Tour de France

Levi Leipheimer, older by the day, also would miss what will probably be his last chance at overall victory in Le Tour. He would be co-leader at the Tour this year, but probably for the last time, perhaps being left to wonder what could have been in 2007.

Lost Dreams: Will Leipheimer (right) have to pay for his teammate's and title sponsor's mistakes in 2008?

Andreas Kloden too would be kept from contending the overall in the Tour. Kloden, like Leipheimer, is getting older (32 yrs old) and has only a few more years to ride in the world's biggest bike race. While he probably would ride in support of Leipheimer and Contador, he would also no doubt have a few chances at a stage victory.

Kloden, shown here pacing Vinokourov in the 2007 Tour before Vino's blood doping positive, may be punished for his former teammate's choices

While the lack of the "Big Three" in France for 2008 would be hard to take, the lack of the entire Astana team would change the race even more dramatically. Astana is one of the few teams strong enough to control the peloton, to set the pace for the day. If removed, the Tour could turn into a chaotic free-for-all each day, as teams jostle for superiority. While it would make for exciting racing, it could also lead to huge time gaps early on in the race, which would take the drama out of the later stages.

It's not only Astana that may not be tendered an invite to the Tour. Rumors are swirling out of France that no one is safe, Pro Tour team or not. With the recent news about CONI, the Italian Olympic Committee, wanting to question both Contador and Caisse d'Epargne's Alejandro Valverde, trouble could be on the way for the Spanish team as well. And while CONI can't suspend Valverde, they can bar him from competing on Italian soil. If he were sanctioned, his participation at the Tour would be impossible as the race makes a brief foray into Italy in 2008.

Nowadays, one person's poor choices can affect many in cycling, just ask the Caise d'Epargne boys. Valverde is shown fourth from right, front row

Add to the mix the fact that Tour director Christian Prudhomme has a very itchy trigger finger when it comes to protecting the Tour from suspected dopers, 2008 could see some of the world's biggest and best cycling outfits prevented from contesting the Grand Boucle.

Prudhomme will do his all to protect his beloved Tour from cheaters in 2008, even if it means judging riders based only on circumstantial evidence