It’s mid-March, the season of melting snow, daffodils, and green vomit. From a cycling standpoint, it’s time for Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, and La Classissima: Milan-San Remo. With so much having transpired since we last talked racing, let’s take a minute to run-down some of what we’ve learned since January.
1. Astana’s better than we expected. Yes, we knew Alberto Contador would win some important races, but what about the rest of the team? Looking down the roster in January, there were few names to arouse images of Astana on the step of Europe’s podiums. But with wins in L’Eroica and Tirreno, as well as several aggressive performances in other races, it might be time to consider Astana a team and not just a group of guys riding in support of Alberto Contador. Enrico Gasparotto and Maxim Iglinsky seem to be the squad’s best candidates for success—especially in minor classics and stage races. Throw-in a few wins here and there with whatever Contador manages to haul-in, and Astana looks to have the makings of a successful season.
2. On the flipside, Radio Shack has not lived-up to it’s billing. While everyone waits for Lance’s next assault on Tour #8, the rest of the team hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire. Geert Steegmans has once again proven to be a bit fragile—mentally, physically, and aerodynamically; and the team has now withered twice when pitted head-to-head against Astana—first at the Tour Algarve and again in Paris-Nice. In the “Race to the Sun,” one could be forgiven for not even knowing that Levi Leipheimer was there in the first place—is the Tour of California really more important than Paris-Nice? Even Johan Bruyneel’s acknowledged the problem, quickly adding more races to the team’s program. We’ll finally see Lance and Contador go head-to-head in next weekend’s Criterium International—any guess who’ll be the favorite?
3. Speaking of teams, last year’s HTC-Columbia seems to not be the juggernaut it once was. The team has won only 10 races, with the much of them coming from Andre Greipel’s trip to the Tour Down Under. Yes, the Ruta del Sol and Vuelta Murcia were nice stage race victories, but they pale in comparison to the wins this team was racking-up this time last year. And Mark Cavendish? His best ride so far this year was a 2nd place in a Spain’s Clasica Almeria. He rode Tirreno-Adriatico, but spent more time off the back or on the asphalt than he did on the podium. A repeat performance of last year’s Milan-San Remo seems almost impossible for young Manxman. This looks to be a rebuilding year for Bob Stapleton’s men—at least until his next generation of stars gains the experience necessary to win at the sport’s highest level.
4. From teams to riders, beginning with the unlucky Heinrich Haussler. Haussler was victimized by a crash in Portugal’s Volta Algarve, and looked uncertain to start his classics campaign in Belgium’s opening weekend. However, at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad we were treated to an aggressive ride from the Germaustralian, one that landed him yet another 2nd place. Then came Paris-Nice though, and Haussler’s Stage 4 abandonment due to recurrent knee pain. He’s already been scratched from Milan-San Remo, and the rest of his spring looks to be in jeopardy. Here’s hoping he recovers, as his cobbled assault was to be one of the more interesting storylines of the spring.
5. And speaking of the cobbled classics, it looks as if Tom Boonen and Filippo Pozzato are set to wage an epic battle against one another this spring. Everyone remembers last year when Pozzato effectively marked Boonen out of Flanders and then Boonen (and his fans) enacted revenge one week later in Roubaix. If the first two weeks of March are any indicator, both riders are in top form and ready to go. Round 1 takes place Saturday in Milan-San Remo. Pozzato’s already won once and would like to add another title to his resume. Boonen’s never won La Primavera, but has made known his desire to do so. Check your calendar now—you’ll want to watch these two champions square-off on Saturday down the Via Roma in San Remo.
6. And finally, I haven’t noticed several spring stars making noise in the traditional warm-up races including Fabian Cancellara, Philippe Gilbert, Alessandro Ballan, and George Hincapie. Maybe they’re taking the piano, piano approach to their training and preparation—or maybe there’s something wrong. We’ll get our first real indicator this weekend. Enjoy!
