By Jeff Ludlum 6 March 2010
Team RadioShack (TRS) is well on their way in the 2010 season, bringing a multi-pronged attack to the early races of the year, and several riders on the team are competing for the line. Much more than simply Lance Armstrong’s team (which it certainly is!), other racers are also showing the form and power to make TRS not just a team for Le Tour, but much, much more.
There was a lot of understandable excitement for TRS’ first race in January for the Santos Down Under in South Australia. With plenty of strong teams in the field, including HTC Columbia (who had the eventual winner, Andre Greipel) as well as the new British squad, Team Sky, the Shack’s riders had a few flares, including Gert Steegmans’ near stage win, finishing second early on.
TRS then gathered for training camp in Calpe, Spain, where a couple new members joined the group: Ben Hermans, who missed the December Tucson camp while healing from broken toe bone; and Fumi Beppu, who in December and January was in discussion to end the contract he was under with Skil Shimano. The team had collection of good training rides during their two week camp; there was also a media day, and the entire team was formally outfitted with their new bikes, kits, and other team gear.
Then it was on to the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, where Sebastien Rosseler earned the first stage win for The Shack with a strong breakaway that he held all the way to the line in Stage 4. Tiago Machado also rode well throughout the five stage race, finishing third in the GC. Machado was rewarded for the strong performance, named this week to the start list by team manager Johan Bruyneel for the famous Paris–Nice race.
In the Giro di Sardegna, TRS continued to ride well as team, with Chris Horner riding in his first race of the season. Horner had to feel good about the effort, as he came close to another stage win for The Shack, finishing second in Stage 4. All told, TRS delivered an admirable effort for the week. The Shack took the Team GC, Horner finished 2nd in the GC, just 0:04 seconds off the winner, Roman Kreuziger of Liquigas. Another Shacker, Jani Brajovic also had a good race, finishing 4th in the GC. Finally, Ben Hermans, fully recovered from his foot injury, started his first race of the season in Sardegna.
TRS then headed north into the cold, damp weather of late winter in Belgium and the opening weekend of the Belgian racing calendar. Horrendous weather met the team during two one-day races. The Omloop Het Nieuwatblad on Saturday was followed by the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (or KBK, as it’s often referred) on Sunday. Wet, windy, and brutal, the field of a 248 riders was whittled down to a fraction of that number by the day’s end, with many riders abandoning the effort. In the midst of this suffering, Fumi Beppu rode his first race in the Shack kit – quite a place to start! A couple other bright spots for an otherwise dreary day: TRS’ Gregory Rast finished 9th for the day, and Sebastien Rosseler finished a minute behind his teammate, crossing 14th overall.
Which brings us back to Spain for the Vuelta a Murcia this week. The media was all over the Bradley Wiggins – Lance Armstrong match-up, “head to head at the Vuelta de Murcia”, etc. In addition to Armstrong, TRS sent Daryl Impey, Andreas Klöden, Jason McCartney, Gregory Rast, Jose Luis Rubiera and Haimar Zubeldia.
Stage 1 and 2 in Murcia saw Daryl Impey with strong sprints at the finish to cross 5th and then 10th respectively. Then in Stage 3, Kloden delivered a 5th place finish (ahead of Wiggins!). In the TT Stage 4, Kloden finished 4th, showing he’s certainly still capable of racing at the front.
Meanwhile, The Shack’s also sent a squad back to Belgium for some more race time in the Three Days in West Flanders (including Bjorn Selander, Fumi Beppu, Markel Irizar, Dmitriy Muravyev, Ivan Rovny, Ben Hermans, Sam Bewley, and Tomas Vaitkus).
And finally, Paris-Nice starts on Sunday, with TRS roster announced by Bruyneel to include JB Junior (Brajovic), Horner, Levi, Lequatre, Machado, Popo (Popovych), Lord of the Rings (Rosseler) & Steegmans.
Quite an exciting flurry of activity as the season speeds up! What’s more, the Shack is forming a nice echelon for success as they battle the weather, the roads, and the other racers to be first across the finish line as we roll through the spring!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
From the Musette 2010: An Interview with Sam Bewley of Team RadioShack
From the Musette: An Interview with Sam Bewley of Team RadioShack
By Jeff Ludlum 6 February 2010
It all started on Christmas Eve and Sam Bewley’s post via Twitter: “Who knows where Puriri, New Zealand is? If you guess correctly, you’ll win a prize.” Or something like that.
Regardless, through the power of the Blackberry and mobile internet, I was able to quickly tweet in reply, “Puriri is a small town on the Hauraki Plains, near Thames." Apparently I had the closest description of this town where Sam was headed for the Christmas holiday. I got a nifty Trek LiveSTRONG rider’s cap and bonus Kiwi rider’s cap with Bewley’s autograph, via the postal service a couple weeks later.
Now as Bewley and the rest of Team RadioShack gather in Calpe, Spain for their second training camp, I hoped Sam would be willing to field a few questions, based on our e-rapport established during the holidays, for this first edition of From the Musette. Thankfully, he agreed!
After near 50 hours of travel through something like four or five airports, Sam made it safely to Calpe, and gave some great insights in reply to my various questions. Here’s what Bewley had to say.
JL: Obviously you're from Rotorua, New Zealand, and attending camp in Calpe. I know another member of the team, Daryl Impey, just moved recently to Gerona for the season. Where will you be living during the season? Will you be re-locating, or traveling to race locales as the season unfolds?
SB: I have had a couple of different thoughts of where to live throughout the season. At first I was thinking Nice, or just out of Nice. But now it’s looking more like it’s going to be Gerona. I’ll head there after the camp and check it out for a couple of weeks.
I may still go to Nice and check it out. I am going to be away most of March so will look at settling into a place of my own by the end of March. Where I choose to live is going to be largely influenced by where the other Kiwi pro's are.
Tim Gudsell (Francaise des Jeux) is in Nice. so that's where the initial thought came from. But in Gerona there is Greg Henderson (Team Sky), and Hayden Roulston (HTC Columbia) is going to be there too. And one more guy, Kris Withington who is a mechanic for Garmin and he’s also from Rotorua.
JL: I read in the Sunday Star Times that you're racing in the track cycling world championships, as well as the Commonwealth Games. Both with the NZ Team, right? So, what's your race program/schedule for TRS for the season?
SB: It’s going to be a good season. I still have ambitions on the track with the Olympics in 2012 and the Team Pursuit. But of course I have large ambitions to make a career as a road cyclist.
Team RadioShack directors have been very understanding with both these ambitions so far, they understand I am young and do want to achieve in both disciplines, which I believe I can continue to do for a few years. So I’ll still compete with the NZ Track team this year in some events.
And my programme with Team RadioShack is looking really good too. Starting with Het Volk, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Tour of Murcia, before I ride the Track Worlds [in March, in Copenhagen]. Then back into some smaller tours with the team straight after that. I'm excited.
JL: You and Bjorn Selander are the two first riders from the Trek LiveSTRONG U23 team to move up to the Pro Tour level, and into The Shack's first season at that. Great stuff, and you must be stoked. What would you say best prepared you to make the move from the U23 team for this step you've now taken?
SB: Being part of Trek-LiveSTRONG and especially under the guidance of Axel Merckx really developed me as a cyclist, as a professional athlete. What I learnt from him both on and off the bike really opened my eyes to what this game is about and through this I matured much more as a cyclist and a professional sportsman. Without a doubt, spending a year with Axel is what has prepared me for this season more than anything before.
JL: You met the team in Tucson in December for the first time, and I read that you got on well with lots of the fellas.... Sounds like you had a good approach to getting around to meeting the various guys during lunches and dinners, in addition to the training rides...?
SB: For sure, I really enjoyed the camp in Tucson, it wasn't a full on camp in regards to training but lots of opportunities to interact and meet everyone on the team. I knew nobody except Bjorn and Craig Geater who is one of the mechanics (also from Rotorua) so I did make an effort to get to know everyone as much as I could.
I think it’s important to do that, even if some of the guys I may not see again until the next training camp. But when you’re away from home, away from friends and family, you have to make that effort. Otherwise it’s going to be a lonely season.
JL: Ok. Now for a little touch of technology. Are you an iPod guy, iphone, or both? (or neither?) If either, thinking about your mobile tunes for travels (especially the 50-ish hours from NZ to SP), etc. What music will you be listening to? Favorite musicians at present?
SB: I think everyone is an IPod guy in this new era; I definitely don't walk around with my Discman anymore. Every cyclist has to have an iPod for the longer rides. I don't have an iphone though. I have been tempted a few times but at the moment I'm running with the BlackBerry Bold.
As for my taste in music, it’s pretty diverse. I was brought up on good old rock music, through my Dad, so I’ll always enjoy that. But I have stuck with the times of course. I'm pretty keen on my hip hop and things like that, especially when I'm getting G'd up. When I spend so much time away from home I have to be connected to NZ somehow, so I listen to a lot of Kiwi music. Reggae type stuff, like Fat Freddy's Drop (for example, “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJg63SziL4”), Black Seeds (i.e. “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZytEicHf6p4), Salmonella Dub (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHYIHqSq4JQ). Also Crowded House, every true Kiwi likes Crowded House. And more recently a new Kiwi sensation Gin Wigmore (http://www.youtube.com/user/ginwigmoremusic)....check her out.
JL: Last question for this go 'round: So you and I first "met" as it were via Twitter. A lot of the guys on the team, and Johan too, are very active on the social media side of things...especially Twitter. As a fan, I gotta tell you, it's super fun to have that sort of
random, spontaneous insights and glimpses into athletes' day-to-day. What's the deal with so many Shackers being Tweeters too?
SB: Twitter just seems to be the way of the future at the moment, doesn't it? It will be interesting to see if it is the future, but at the moment it is certainly a great way for fans and the like to get an insight into the lives of pro riders. I don't think its just Team RadioShack; there are a lot of pro cyclists on Twitter these days. The craze has certainly come about from Lance's twittering, well I think so anyway. That's how I got onto it. It becomes like a little addiction. Once you start its hard to stop. But in saying that, sometimes when I have a 'wee break', I don't go through withdrawal symptoms! :)
***
All told, sounds like Bewley is handling things pretty well as he continues this early stage of his pro career. With both feet firmly on the ground (or pedals!), and surrounded by world-class teammates and racing organization to learn from, he’s got a great foundation to build on for the 2010 season and well beyond. Thanks for the tweets, the music tips, and best of luck in 2010, Sam!
[Note: Writer inserted URLs in the article as reference.]
By Jeff Ludlum 6 February 2010
It all started on Christmas Eve and Sam Bewley’s post via Twitter: “Who knows where Puriri, New Zealand is? If you guess correctly, you’ll win a prize.” Or something like that.
Regardless, through the power of the Blackberry and mobile internet, I was able to quickly tweet in reply, “Puriri is a small town on the Hauraki Plains, near Thames." Apparently I had the closest description of this town where Sam was headed for the Christmas holiday. I got a nifty Trek LiveSTRONG rider’s cap and bonus Kiwi rider’s cap with Bewley’s autograph, via the postal service a couple weeks later.
Now as Bewley and the rest of Team RadioShack gather in Calpe, Spain for their second training camp, I hoped Sam would be willing to field a few questions, based on our e-rapport established during the holidays, for this first edition of From the Musette. Thankfully, he agreed!
After near 50 hours of travel through something like four or five airports, Sam made it safely to Calpe, and gave some great insights in reply to my various questions. Here’s what Bewley had to say.
JL: Obviously you're from Rotorua, New Zealand, and attending camp in Calpe. I know another member of the team, Daryl Impey, just moved recently to Gerona for the season. Where will you be living during the season? Will you be re-locating, or traveling to race locales as the season unfolds?
SB: I have had a couple of different thoughts of where to live throughout the season. At first I was thinking Nice, or just out of Nice. But now it’s looking more like it’s going to be Gerona. I’ll head there after the camp and check it out for a couple of weeks.
I may still go to Nice and check it out. I am going to be away most of March so will look at settling into a place of my own by the end of March. Where I choose to live is going to be largely influenced by where the other Kiwi pro's are.
Tim Gudsell (Francaise des Jeux) is in Nice. so that's where the initial thought came from. But in Gerona there is Greg Henderson (Team Sky), and Hayden Roulston (HTC Columbia) is going to be there too. And one more guy, Kris Withington who is a mechanic for Garmin and he’s also from Rotorua.
JL: I read in the Sunday Star Times that you're racing in the track cycling world championships, as well as the Commonwealth Games. Both with the NZ Team, right? So, what's your race program/schedule for TRS for the season?
SB: It’s going to be a good season. I still have ambitions on the track with the Olympics in 2012 and the Team Pursuit. But of course I have large ambitions to make a career as a road cyclist.
Team RadioShack directors have been very understanding with both these ambitions so far, they understand I am young and do want to achieve in both disciplines, which I believe I can continue to do for a few years. So I’ll still compete with the NZ Track team this year in some events.
And my programme with Team RadioShack is looking really good too. Starting with Het Volk, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Tour of Murcia, before I ride the Track Worlds [in March, in Copenhagen]. Then back into some smaller tours with the team straight after that. I'm excited.
JL: You and Bjorn Selander are the two first riders from the Trek LiveSTRONG U23 team to move up to the Pro Tour level, and into The Shack's first season at that. Great stuff, and you must be stoked. What would you say best prepared you to make the move from the U23 team for this step you've now taken?
SB: Being part of Trek-LiveSTRONG and especially under the guidance of Axel Merckx really developed me as a cyclist, as a professional athlete. What I learnt from him both on and off the bike really opened my eyes to what this game is about and through this I matured much more as a cyclist and a professional sportsman. Without a doubt, spending a year with Axel is what has prepared me for this season more than anything before.
JL: You met the team in Tucson in December for the first time, and I read that you got on well with lots of the fellas.... Sounds like you had a good approach to getting around to meeting the various guys during lunches and dinners, in addition to the training rides...?
SB: For sure, I really enjoyed the camp in Tucson, it wasn't a full on camp in regards to training but lots of opportunities to interact and meet everyone on the team. I knew nobody except Bjorn and Craig Geater who is one of the mechanics (also from Rotorua) so I did make an effort to get to know everyone as much as I could.
I think it’s important to do that, even if some of the guys I may not see again until the next training camp. But when you’re away from home, away from friends and family, you have to make that effort. Otherwise it’s going to be a lonely season.
JL: Ok. Now for a little touch of technology. Are you an iPod guy, iphone, or both? (or neither?) If either, thinking about your mobile tunes for travels (especially the 50-ish hours from NZ to SP), etc. What music will you be listening to? Favorite musicians at present?
SB: I think everyone is an IPod guy in this new era; I definitely don't walk around with my Discman anymore. Every cyclist has to have an iPod for the longer rides. I don't have an iphone though. I have been tempted a few times but at the moment I'm running with the BlackBerry Bold.
As for my taste in music, it’s pretty diverse. I was brought up on good old rock music, through my Dad, so I’ll always enjoy that. But I have stuck with the times of course. I'm pretty keen on my hip hop and things like that, especially when I'm getting G'd up. When I spend so much time away from home I have to be connected to NZ somehow, so I listen to a lot of Kiwi music. Reggae type stuff, like Fat Freddy's Drop (for example, “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJg63SziL4”), Black Seeds (i.e. “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZytEicHf6p4), Salmonella Dub (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHYIHqSq4JQ). Also Crowded House, every true Kiwi likes Crowded House. And more recently a new Kiwi sensation Gin Wigmore (http://www.youtube.com/user/ginwigmoremusic)....check her out.
JL: Last question for this go 'round: So you and I first "met" as it were via Twitter. A lot of the guys on the team, and Johan too, are very active on the social media side of things...especially Twitter. As a fan, I gotta tell you, it's super fun to have that sort of
random, spontaneous insights and glimpses into athletes' day-to-day. What's the deal with so many Shackers being Tweeters too?
SB: Twitter just seems to be the way of the future at the moment, doesn't it? It will be interesting to see if it is the future, but at the moment it is certainly a great way for fans and the like to get an insight into the lives of pro riders. I don't think its just Team RadioShack; there are a lot of pro cyclists on Twitter these days. The craze has certainly come about from Lance's twittering, well I think so anyway. That's how I got onto it. It becomes like a little addiction. Once you start its hard to stop. But in saying that, sometimes when I have a 'wee break', I don't go through withdrawal symptoms! :)
***
All told, sounds like Bewley is handling things pretty well as he continues this early stage of his pro career. With both feet firmly on the ground (or pedals!), and surrounded by world-class teammates and racing organization to learn from, he’s got a great foundation to build on for the 2010 season and well beyond. Thanks for the tweets, the music tips, and best of luck in 2010, Sam!
[Note: Writer inserted URLs in the article as reference.]
Being Jason McCartney – Racing with Lance & Levi in the Tour of the Gila
28 April 2010
By Jeff Ludlum
2009 saw The Tour of the Gila -- New Mexico’s premier road cycling stage race -- elevated to a new status, when Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Chris Horner raced together as Team Mellow Johnny’s (TMJ). The three brought the speed and at the end of the five-day race, Leipheimer ended up atop the podium with first place in the General Classification (GC).
This year TMJ is back to race, with Jason McCartney replacing Horner (who’s been busy racing in Europe, including a recent GC win in the Basque Country). Competing under the TMJ moniker again (as required by UCI regulations) and wearing a throw-back kit, imagine for a minute being Jason McCartney. It’s got to be cool.
No newbie to professional cycling, McCartney has been racing since 1999, when he entered the pro scene to ride for Team Nutra Fig. Since then he’s raced for various teams, most notably Discovery Channel, Saxo Bank, and now Team RadioShack. McCartney’s raced five grand tours all told. He’s known as a good climber, having won the King of the Mountain (KOM) titles in the Tour of Georgia and also Tour of California. Should suit him well riding over the many climbs TMJ will face in New Mexico.
In spite of NOT being new to big-time bike racing, it’s got to be cool for McCartney to be teamed up to round out the troika with the likes of Armstrong and Leipheimer. Both men are among the most successful American road cyclists ever to race the ProTour. Good company for sure. Competing on American soil in such a race, where TMJ’s presence is a high-light for the event has got to be fun (not to mention having a shot at the podium for the team). It elevates the race, it elevates the sport. And it doesn’t stop there.
Not only does TMJ bring a heightened professional element to the Tour of the Gila. In addition, fellow American professional cyclists Floyd Landis (riding for Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team), and David Zabriske (on hiatus from Team Garmin-Transitions to ride for Team DZ-Nuts) all bring added name recognition (and competition!) to The Gila. Might even see TMJ and DZ-Nuts help each other out to manage the peloton, if conditions are right and they need to chase down a break.
From today’s first stage, looks like that might just play out more than once. Leipheimer finished first for the day, DZ Nuts’ Tom Danielson finished second.
Finally, with a Trek LiveSTRONG U23 squad racing the event and the obvious connection to TMJ, McCartney has the opportunity to be fine example for those young riders as an American being successful in professional cycling in a different role. It may not be as sexy as lead rider, but McCartney’s presence is nonetheless meaningful as a fierce climber, competitor, and contributor to a team’s success. For the U23ers, the rest of the racers in the field, and all of us watching, that’s good stuff. Indeed, it’s great for American cycling, for fans and cyclists alike. Gotta be cool to be part of all of that!
By Jeff Ludlum
2009 saw The Tour of the Gila -- New Mexico’s premier road cycling stage race -- elevated to a new status, when Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, and Chris Horner raced together as Team Mellow Johnny’s (TMJ). The three brought the speed and at the end of the five-day race, Leipheimer ended up atop the podium with first place in the General Classification (GC).
This year TMJ is back to race, with Jason McCartney replacing Horner (who’s been busy racing in Europe, including a recent GC win in the Basque Country). Competing under the TMJ moniker again (as required by UCI regulations) and wearing a throw-back kit, imagine for a minute being Jason McCartney. It’s got to be cool.
No newbie to professional cycling, McCartney has been racing since 1999, when he entered the pro scene to ride for Team Nutra Fig. Since then he’s raced for various teams, most notably Discovery Channel, Saxo Bank, and now Team RadioShack. McCartney’s raced five grand tours all told. He’s known as a good climber, having won the King of the Mountain (KOM) titles in the Tour of Georgia and also Tour of California. Should suit him well riding over the many climbs TMJ will face in New Mexico.
In spite of NOT being new to big-time bike racing, it’s got to be cool for McCartney to be teamed up to round out the troika with the likes of Armstrong and Leipheimer. Both men are among the most successful American road cyclists ever to race the ProTour. Good company for sure. Competing on American soil in such a race, where TMJ’s presence is a high-light for the event has got to be fun (not to mention having a shot at the podium for the team). It elevates the race, it elevates the sport. And it doesn’t stop there.
Not only does TMJ bring a heightened professional element to the Tour of the Gila. In addition, fellow American professional cyclists Floyd Landis (riding for Bahati Foundation Pro Cycling Team), and David Zabriske (on hiatus from Team Garmin-Transitions to ride for Team DZ-Nuts) all bring added name recognition (and competition!) to The Gila. Might even see TMJ and DZ-Nuts help each other out to manage the peloton, if conditions are right and they need to chase down a break.
From today’s first stage, looks like that might just play out more than once. Leipheimer finished first for the day, DZ Nuts’ Tom Danielson finished second.
Finally, with a Trek LiveSTRONG U23 squad racing the event and the obvious connection to TMJ, McCartney has the opportunity to be fine example for those young riders as an American being successful in professional cycling in a different role. It may not be as sexy as lead rider, but McCartney’s presence is nonetheless meaningful as a fierce climber, competitor, and contributor to a team’s success. For the U23ers, the rest of the racers in the field, and all of us watching, that’s good stuff. Indeed, it’s great for American cycling, for fans and cyclists alike. Gotta be cool to be part of all of that!
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