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LATEST NEWS: ROSSI DECLARES HER INNOCENCE
Road Bike Action & AFP
January 31, 2010
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(Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Rossi Declares Her Innocence
Riccardo Ricco's girlfriend has denied she ever used CERA and stated that under no circumstances would she have endanger the health of her newborn son. Vania Rossi stated, "this is completely ridiculous and there are things that do not add up."
The cyclist, whose positive was detected in a control on January 10th, d her innocence. "I never took banned substances. It's ridiculous, I became a mother in July and I am breastfeeding my son. I would never jeopardize his health by taking CERA or other substances, if I did I’d have to go to jail."
Rossi is currently awaiting a decision by CONI, which could decide to sanction her for two years as it did with her boyfriend, Riccardo Ricco. Ricco was suspended from racing for 20-months and will return to the peloton in March wearing the jersey of the Flaminia team.
 Petacchi delivers for his new Lampre team (Photo: Roberto Bettini)
Petacchi Gets Early Season Win
Italian Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) took a mass sprint in Crotone during the second stage of the Tour of the Province of Reggio Calabria. Petacchi took the win ahead of Spaniard Francisco José Ventoso and his compatriot Mattia Gavazzi. The Italian Matteo Montaguti (De Rosa) who won Saturday’s first stage maintained his overall lead.
 Hivert during the 2009 Tour de France, riding for the Skil-Shimano team (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Hivert Takes GP La Marseillaise
Frenchman Jonathan Hivert of the Saur Sojasun team won France's traditional season-opening cycle race the GP La Marseillaise, held over 139.5-kilometers on Sunday. Hivert finished ahead of Dutchman Johnny Hoogerland of Vacansoleil and compatriot Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis).
 Heath Blackgrove (L) will lead the team in 2010 (Photo courtesy of Team Hotel San José)
Team Hotel San José Debuts in Austin
Team Hotel San José heads into the 2010 season with a solid roster of riders and some promising newcomers who are ready to build on the success the team enjoyed in 2009. The Austin, Texas-based professional team will field a multi-national roster of seven professional/elite riders to go along with five others who are part of the Team Hotel San José Under 23 Junior Development Program.
Headlining the pro squad is 2009 Athens Twilight Criterium winner Heath Blackgrove. The 29-year-old is coming off one of his best seasons, with victories at the Tour of Southland in his native country of New Zealand, the Mississippi Grand Prix, Texas Tough Grand Prix II and the Tour of Lawrence.
Team Hotel San José Executive Director Todd Reed said he would lean on Blackgrove, a ninth-year professional, to be a leader in a number of ways. “We have built a developmental team around Heath and he will play a pivotal role when they are on the road,” Reed said. “Not only does he have the most experience, but he is also a terrific mentor for our younger riders and even the Team Hotel San José club members.”
Blackgrove said Team Hotel San José should be competitive in nearly every type of race. The squad has added strength for breakaways and hilly races, and boosted its speed for sprints and criteriums. “While the extra strength will give us more options, I am very excited to work with the sprinters we have on board and setting them up for the bunch finishes,” Blackgrove said. “I really think we're going to surprise a lot of people this year and look forward to helping develop Team Hotel San José.”
One of the speedsters on the team is Carlos Vargas. The 27-year-old Columbian is the 2009 Texas state criterium champion who won two stages of the Mississippi Grand Prix on the way to finishing third overall. He is also a perennial podium placer at the International Cycling Classic (Superweek) series. Helping him in the lead-outs will be Australian strongman Sean Sullivan, 31, who won a stage of the Tour of Austin last year
Team Hotel San José has also bolstered its already talented line-up with the addition of several promising newcomers, including New Zealander Logan Hutchings, Cody Foster (a 19-year-old who was fourth in the junior men’s time trial at the 2009 USA Cycling championships), American Alex Battle-Woods and current Under 23 U.S. national team member Travis Burandt. Hutchings, 25, is new to the U.S. racing scene. He won two stages last year at the Tour of Southland and captured the Under 23 New Zealand national road and time trial titles in 2005.
Other notables on the roster include Joshua Carter (multi-stage winner at the International Cycling Classic), Ronnie Strange (2009 Hotter 'N Hell Hundred criterium winner) and Stefan Rothe (Texas State Time Trial Champion 2009) of Germany.
In 2009, Team Hotel San José won 50 races and registered 95 podium (top three) placings, including victories at the Athens Twilight Criterium, the Texas Tough Grand Prix II, the Tour of Lawrence, the Mississippi Grand Prix, the Texas and Colorado state criterium championships and a sweep of the podium at the Tour of Austin.
Team Owner and Manager Barry Lee said the long-term vision for the team is to apply for continental license status in 2011. In the short-term, the development of juniors and Under 23 racers is a priority and has always been the program's focus. “This team is a complete package of what cycling can deliver on a number of levels: from grass roots events, to camps and clinics, to club and amateur developmental programs all the way up to the elite pro level,” Lee said. “We like being the underdog team at the larger races – because our guys thrive on winning and being the long-shots.”
Pro/Elite Roster
Alex Battle-Woods* (USA), Zach Bergh* (USA), Heath Blackgrove (NZL), Travis Burandt* (USA), Josh Carter (USA), Cody Foster* (USA), Logan Hutchings (NZL), Stefan Rothe (GER), Ronnie Strange, Sean Sullivan (AUS), (USA), Joseph Tokarski* (USA), Carlos Vargas (COL).
*Under 23 Junior Development team member. |
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