CAVENDISH TOUR DE FRANCE 2012 – British cycling’s performance director and Sky Procycling chief Dave Brailsford suggested in recent days that Mark Cavendish may have to forget about the green jersey in the Tour de France, but the rider himself appears to remain focused on achieving that goal.

Cavendish had previously said that he had twin objectives of taking the Tour’s Maillot Vert for a second consecutive year and also winning the Olympic road race.

Last week Brailsford suggested that this doubling up plus talk that Bradley Wiggins could target Tour victory plus Olympic time trial success would be too much.

“We’ve got four big goals in close proximity and they all revolve around Mark and Bradley,” he told the BBC, stating that it was essential to prioritise.

“I think just to say that you’re going to give each one equal significance and try to win everything is probably the recipe for failure. What we really need to do is to look at them and say: ‘If you could just have one, which one would you take?’

However, speaking to the Guardian, Cavendish has said that he thinks it’s not out of the question for himself and Wiggins to seal green and yellow jerseys in the Tour.

“It’s very possible,” Cavendish asserted. “We’ve got the team and riders to make that goal. We’ve got guys who can ride tough all day, guys who can lead out, guys who can ride in the mountains. Brad’s going great and his form is exceptional.”

Cavendish remains confident despite having a recent setback. He made winning Milan-Sanremo a major early season target but was dropped early on, later pulling out of the race.

However he hasn’t let that get to him. He believes that he can take gold on British soil, winning in front of a home crowd in what would be a huge moment for cycling there.

“I think there’s a very real possibility,” he insisted. “The Olympic Games are in London and we’ve got the strongest team Britain has ever had. This is probably the strongest road team any nation has had. And we’ve got the fastest sprinter in the world.”

However he also accepts that it will be a tougher task than his world championship title, achieved on a relatively flat course in Denmark.

“London is definitely not straightforward like Copenhagen where we could control the bunch. We’ve got less riders and the recovery time between climbing Box Hill nine times is short. Going up Box Hill once and even twice is not going to feel much of a climb. After four or five times it’ll bite. Doing it the ninth time, it’s going to feel like a mountain. But I’ve climbed mountains before. It’s a good course for us.”

Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde – Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) won the first stage of the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde between Middelkerke and Oudenaarde, in a tight sprint over former teammate Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana). The Slovakian champion, led out by teammate Fabio Sabatini, just managed to edge past the Italian, who won the final road stage of last year’s race, just as they hit the line; crossing no more than the width of his deep-section carbon rim ahead.

The final sprint, at the end of the tough 201.6km stage, was at the head of a much-reduced peloton as the hills of the Flemish Ardennes – well known to most riders from the ronde van Vlaanderen – took their toll. Numerous attacks were launched in the closing kilometres, but none was successful and the Liquigas-Cannondale and Astana teams managed to control things to the end.

“We deserved it because we rode the race as a great team,” said Sagan. “Among my victories, however, today was the least sought after. Our lead out was for “Saba”; I should only intervene if he had any difficulty.

“Guarnieri did a good, long sprint,” he explained. “I followed Fabio until I realised that unfortunately he would not be able to take it. I won, but the award goes to all of my teammates who were involved in a great race.”

The main attack of the day came from Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto-Belisol), Steven Van Vooren (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator), Reiner Honig (Landbouwkrediet) and Ronan van Zandbeek (Project 1t4i); a far more dangerous move came from Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Cannondale, with Ben Hermans (RadioShack-Nissan), Sebastian Langeveld (GreenEDGE), Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Guarnieri inside the final 40km.

With the five-man break neutralised with just 12km to go, Dmitriy Muravyev (Astana) launched a solo move that was only neutralised by the shrinking peloton with three kilometres to go. Sylvain Chavanel (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) launched the last of many attacks as the race entered the town of Oudenaarde, but it was controlled by Sagan and Guarnieri’s teams, and they were able to contest the sprint between them.

Time bonuses on the line gave Sagan the first leader’s jersey of the race, four seconds ahead of Guarnieri.

A fast start on a sunny day in Flanders

After heading south and east from Middelkerke on the North Sea coast, the route was to pass over the Oudenaarde finish line, before taking in two laps of a 57.5km finishing circuit around the Flemish Ardennes. Although the stage was to share its finishing town with Sunday’s Ronde van Vlaanderen, the line itself was in a completely different spot; in the main Markt, where the Ronde was to finish on the Minderbroederstraat on the outskirts of town.

The opening, flat 86.6km leg was covered with the peloton all together; Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas-Cannondale) took the opening sprint, after 26,9km, ahead of Kenny van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Stefan Van Dijk (Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas), but – with 49.6km covered in the first hour – nobody was able to escape the peloton before the race reached the finishing circuit.

A group of ten riders briefly got clear at the start of the first lap, before Van der Sande, Van Vooren and Honig got away on the Edelareberg, with Van Vooren leading them over the second intermediate sprint. Van Zandbeek quickly bridged across with William Clarke (Champion System), and the five riders managed to build a lead of 2’10” by the time they reached the Valkenberg after 109.1km.

Clarke was struggling to keep up on the hills however, and was dropped on the Kruisberg with 72km to go, just as Daniel Oss (Liquigas-Cannondale) and Boy van Poppel (UnitedHealthcare) tried to make their way across. The two chasers were caught on the Kortekeer with 65km to go though, with the gap to the leaders down to 40 seconds..

The peloton allowed it to grow a little once more, and was up to 1’09” as the four crossed the line to start the 58km finishing circuit

Andy Cappelle (Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas) managed to bridge across just after the Edelareberg, making five up front once again. As the favourites’ teams began to move forward though, the speed in the peloton went up and the quintet’s lead began to tumble. Gaudin was quickly picked up on the cobbles – as André Greipel punctured, and Van Vooren and Honig were also swept up as they struggled on the uneven surface.

As the cobbles ended, and the three remaining leaders hit the foot of the Leberg, they were just ten seconds of the Omega Pharma-Quick Step-led peloton ahead and splitting up as Cappelle was dropped.

Sylvain Chavanel decides to mix things up but Liquigas-Cannondale and Astana are already dominating

Chavanel accelerated, with Langeveld in his wheel, quickly picking up the Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas rider, and pulled a small group away from the peloton. With Chavanel and Langeveld were Assan Bazayev, Dmitriy Muravyev and Simone Ponzi (all Astana), Sabatini and Oss (both Liquigas-Cannondale), Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Belisol), and Leif Hoste (Accent.jobs-Willems Verandas).

Oss attacked the break and was clear over the top as the peloton was gaining on his former companions; the Italian was 12 seconds clear as the race came together behind him with 39km to go.

The Italian was chased and joined by Ben Hermans (RadioShack-Nissan), Langeveld, Guarnieri and Westra on the Valkenberg, with the Omega Pharma-Quick Step-led peloton was now 17 seconds behind.

The peloton was down to no more than fifty riders by now, and splitting into groups as chasing riders detached themselves and were caught again. Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) was leading the chase, but the former Dutch champion was the only member of the Belgian team at the front, and the gap to the leaders was widening.

With 30km to go, it had risen to 23 seconds, and was continuing to grow as he five riders were still co-operating well.

Dries Devenyns finally made his way forward to help his teammate Terpstra, who had been vainly trying to persuade Astana and Liquigas-Cannondale riders to work. Between them the two Omega Pharma-Quick Step riders began to get the peloton’s pace up and, with 25km to go, as the race approached the town of Ronse, they had cut the deficit to 20 seconds.

Chavanel himself came forward as the gap dropped to 17 seconds, but the Frenchman found himself marked by a crowd of Liquigas-Cannondale riders who were protecting Oss ahead.

Terpstra attacked with 21km to go, but he too found himself marked by Liquigas-Cannondale. More riders attacked to join them however, including Svein Tuft (GreenEDGE), and Chavanel, and a larger group was beginning to form.

One final attack but the sprinters are not going to let this go

As the five leaders hit the Kruisberg with 16km to go, they were just 13 seconds ahead of the chasing group, which was dangling just clear of the peloton. Chavanel was driving the chase once more, with Basayev and Muravyev on his wheel for Astana; Sagan was also there again as they crested the top, but the peloton was reforming behind them.

Terpstra took over once more, with the break just 12 seconds clear; Astana riders were still blocking his progress though, along with Sagan and Tuft, so Chavanel attacked again to try to get things going. Although the French champion was still thoroughly marked again, it seemed to be doing the trick and the gap was closing; the front part of the peloton was also detaching from the rest as the rolling, winding Flemish roads began to cause splits.

With 12km to go the much-reduced peloton finally made contact with the leaders, but Muravyev attacked almost immediately, as the Kortekeer approached. The Kazakh was 17 seconds clear as he hit the base of the climb, as he was chased by Stijn Devolder (Vacansoleil-DCM).

The two-time Ronde van Vlaanderen winner was almost upon the Astana rider as he crested the top of the climb with 8km to go; he in turn was pursued by Sagan, Ponzi and Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) as he descended the main road back towards Oudenaarde.

The four chasers were joined by Vincent Jérôme (Europcar), Hoste, Westra and Terpstra; GreenEDGE was now leading the peloton in pursuit, with Chavanel having switched roles to become the blocker this time.

With 5km to go, as the roads began to flatten, the race was all coming back together again behind the lone Muravyev. The Kazakh was still six seconds clear as he made his way up to the bridge across the Schelde; he repeatedly slowed and looked over his shoulder, as if he thought he was about to be caught, before continuing. With three kilometres to go though, Chavanel – chasing again with most of Astana on his wheel – pulled Muravyev back, and the Liquigas-Cannondale team took over.

Chavanel tried to get away with two kilometres to go, just as the course turned into the town, but the French champion was going nowhere. Astana and Liquigas-Cannondale had control once again into the final kilometre; Guarnieri launched his sprint early – disrupted slightly by the speed bump in the finishing straight – but Sagan edged past him just as the two of them hit the line.

tom boonen qatar 2012

TOUR OF QATAR 2012 STAGE 1 – In perfect weather conditions despite ever present wind, stage 1 of the Tour of Qatar ended in a bunched sprint. Belgian Tom Boonen once again proved he was the man to beat on a race he’s already won three times. The Omega Pharma-Quickstep rider captured his 19th stage success here and will carry the first overall leader’s Golden jersey of this 2012 edition.

Boonen won a stage last week at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina and his team-mates were left in no doubt that he is firmly back in the saddle.

“I am confident that I can still compete with all top sprinters out there even though these days that is not my priority,” he said. “Last year at this time I was struggling with pains in my left leg which stemmed from the knee operation I had. That dragged on for months and then I broke bones in my hand in the Tour of Spain. Today all that is behind me and at last I am free from injuries.”

The former world champion, however, said he had been surprised at winning on Sunday having spent three days travelling to the Gulf from South America.

“There was also jet lag to get over and at the start of the race I didn’t feel great. But gradually it all came together for me,” he said.

After a very windy Ladies’ Tour of Qatar, the conditions were a lot milder for the men’s event as the World’s best riders gathered at the start of stage 1 under a bright sun and far less wind than on the previous days. For this 11th edition, 127 riders (Clarke (CSS) failed to start) took off from the BarzanTowers including World champion Mark Cavendish (SKY), World number one Philippe Gilbert (BMC ), title holder Mark Renshaw (RAB), three-time Tour of Qatar winner Tom Boonen (OPQ), as well as the likes of Hushovd (BMC), Cancellara (RNT), Farrar (GRM) and Pozzato (FAR).

As soon as kilometer 3, Adam Hansen took off on his own. His lead grew rapidly from 25″ at km 5 to a maximum 6’40 at the first bonus sprint (km 28.5) he captured ahead of Hallen (KAT) and Renshaw. From that point on the gap dropped down.

Just after the feeding zone (km 69), as the leader headed back south and the wind blew sideways, the pack broke up into several parts with a group of 29 pulling away. That pack, including Boonen, Cancellara, Sagan and Farrar caught up with Hansen and could enjoy a 20″ lead. They reached the second intermediate sprint (km 82), won by Farrar ahead of Appolonio (SKY) and Maes (OPQ), with a 14″ lead. But all the riders eventually gathered together again at km 83, enjoying a tailwind all the way
to the finish.

The decision was to be made in a bunched sprint. Well helped out by his team mates, Tom Boonen flew to victory, his 19th on Qatari soil. The Belgian beat Blythe (BMC) and Sagan (LIQ) to the line. Boonen will therefore be wearing the overall leader’s Golden Jersey for tomorrow’s team time-trial. He also leads the points’ standings while Blythe is the best young rider (White jersey)

Results
Result
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 3:11:32
2 Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team
3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
4 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda
5 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
6 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank
7 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha
8 Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling
9 Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
10 Robert Wagner (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
11 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat
12 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan
13 Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
14 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
15 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
16 John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i
17 Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-BigMat
18 Baden Cooke (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
19 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
20 Lars Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team

General classification
Result
1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 3:11:22
2 Adam Blythe (GBr) BMC Racing Team 0:00:04
3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:06
4 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin-Barracuda 0:00:07
5 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team
6 Davide Appollonio (Ita) Sky Procycling 0:00:08
7 Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha
8 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank 0:00:09
9 Nikolas Maes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
10 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:10
11 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha
12 Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
13 Robert Wagner (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
14 Arnaud Demare (Fra) FDJ-BigMat
15 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) RadioShack-Nissan
16 Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
17 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
18 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
19 John Degenkolb (Ger) Project 1t4i
20 Geoffrey Soupe (Fra) FDJ-BigMat

Video Highlights Tour Of Qatar 2012 Stage 1 :

 Lance Arsmtrong  investigation allegations of systematic doping  has been closed - Lance Armstrong has welcomed the news that the federal investigation into allegations of systematic doping at his former US Postal Service team has been closed.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Friday that the investigation had concluded without charges. No explanation was offered for the decision.

The investigation was triggered in earnest in May 2010, when Floyd Landis confessed to doping while at US Postal, and implicated Armstrong and manager Johan Bruyneel in his outline of the alleged practices at the team.

“I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is closing its investigation,” Lance Armstrong said in a statement. “It is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it. I look forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction.”

Betsy Andreu, the wife of Armstrong’s former US Postal teammate Frankie Andreu, expressed her disappointment that the investigation had concluded without charges being filed. Both Frankie and Betsy Andreu are understood to have cooperated with the investigation, led by Jeff Novitzky.

“Our legal system failed us,” Andreu said, according to ESPN. “This is what happens when you have a lot of money.”

The investigation was built around discerning whether Armstrong or other members of the US Postal team set-up had violated federal conspiracy, fraud or racketeering charges rather than establishing if doping had taken place on the team.

However, the US Anti-doping Agency (USADA) has stated that it is “looking forward to obtaining the information” gathered by the grand jury investigation in order to continue its own inquiry into the matter.

One of the most damning pieces of testimony to enter the public domain was provided by Tyler Hamilton, who offered detailed descriptions of doping practices on the US Postal team in a “60 Minutes” interview in May.

His lawyer Chris Manderson explained that while the federal probe has come to an end, the sporting case against Armstrong and US Postal remains open.

“The fact that doping occurred is a separate issue from whether a federal crime occurred,” Manderson told ESPN. “If (federal authorities) made a decision not to prosecute, that doesn’t mean that somebody didn’t cheat in a bicycle race.” (cyclingnews)

LANCE ARMSTRONG DOPING ALLEGATION – The Associated Press has reported today that the nearly two-year long federal investigation into allegations of doping by Lance Armstrong has come to a conclusion without any charges being filed.

A press release from United States Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. stated his office “is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong.”

That team was the US Postal Service team, which was sponsored by the independent agency of the US federal government from 1996 through 2004, supporting the team through five of Armstrong’s record seven consecutive Tour de France victories. The investigation into systematic doping within the team arose partly out of allegations made by former rider Floyd Landis in 2010.

The federal government’s interest arose from the possibility that doping programs, funded through government-supplied sponsorship dollars, could constitute fraud. The Food and Drug Adminstration’s Jeff Novitzky was appointed to head up the investigation, the same man responsible for pursuing the BALCO steroids scandal.

Normally grand jury investigations would not be publicized if they failed to result in charges, but Birotte decided to make a public statement about the investigation’s end due to numerous reports about the supposedly secret investigation in the press.

“This is great news,” Armstrong’s spokesman Mark Fabiani said in a statement. “Lance is pleased that the United States Attorney made the right decision, and he is more determined than ever to devote his time and energy to Livestrong and to the causes that have defined his career.”

The case may not be concluded for Armstrong, however, as the US Anti-doping Agency (USADA) has announced that it is “looking forward to obtaining the information” which was gathered through the grand jury investigation.

CEO of USADA, Travis Tygart indicated that today’s decision by the US Attorney may help his agency pursue Armstrong on doping violations..

“Unlike the U.S. Attorney, USADA’s job is to protect clean sport rather than enforce specific criminal laws,” read the statement from Tygart. “Our investigation into doping in the sport of cycling is continuing and we look forward to obtaining the information developed during the federal investigation.”

That information includes the statements of several of Armstrong’s former teammates and staff members, including Tyler Hamilton, who later appeared on the television news show “60 Minutes” with details about the doping at US Postal including an eye witness account of Armstrong using EPO.

A doping sanction based upon “non-analytical positives” is not unprecedented: Former Rock Racing rider Kayle Leogrande, whose home was searched in an early part of the same investigation that involved the USPS team, was given a two-year suspension based upon anecdotal evidence from his team and associates. (cyclingnews)

The kit, which is similar to the Leopard-Trek outfit from 2011, is designed by Craft. The main difference from the 2011 kit being a thin red line across the chest, along with title sponsor RadioShack.

The team were presented live on Luxembourg television with Andy and Frank Schleck taking centre stage in their home nation.

The team had early outlined their main aims for the season, which included the three grand tours, Worlds, and Classics.

Photos Radio Shack  Nissan Trek Jersey 2012 :

Fabian Cancellara RadioShack Nissan 2012

Schleck Brother Radioshack Nissan 2012

Schelck Brother with New Madone

Frank Schleck Ready For Tour de France 2012

“When I saw that in the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) commission, an Israeli judge will decide the fate of Contador and soon after discovered that Saxo Bank has its own training camp in Israel, I do not think we are on track,” said Becca to Le Quotidien.

Saxo Bank held a training camp in Israel – not a regular pre-season training camp destination for WorldTour teams – from November 29 to December 11. While there, team’s riders did the usual early team camp activities: getting to know each other, help building a cycling school and spending some time riding locally.

The CAS ruling is expected in a few days, from a commission that includes three members: Quentin Byrne-Sutton of Switzerland, Ulrich Haas of Germany and the Ephraim Barak of Israel. The latter is the president of commission.

“An Israeli judge will issue a ruling on Contador, and Saxo Bank is doing its training camp in Israel, even being officially received by the Government. There are two facts that can not be separated. At this point, I think everything is already decided,” said Becca.

Cicloweb.it further noted that on the Saxo Bank squad is also the first Israeli ever to be part of a WorldTour team. Ran Margaliot had previously raced for Footon-Servetto and has been at Saxo Bank since 2011.

Much has happened in the last year, with the team unable to secure a sponsor in 2011 and Nygaard’s dismissal at the hands of Flavio Becca.

The subsequent merger between the Leopard and RadioShack squads was one of the most intriguing stories of the off-season, but one constant remains and that’s the team’s desire to win the Tour de France.

frank and andy schleck radioshack nissan 2012

At their press conference on Friday they held court with four top ten finishers in the Tour, but their greatest weapon, Andy Schleck, looks like being Johan Bruyneel’s preferred choice as team leader. Schleck has finished second on three occasions (2009, 2010, 2011) and in these exclusive videos Bruyneel talks about Schleck’s strengths and the team’s desire to win the Tour de France.

Today’s print edition of the paper states that “multiple sources” have confirmed the story, suggesting it to be a bureaucratic error on the British sprinter’s part rather than anything else. The paper suggests that the main problem has been the fact that Cavendish spent less time at his usual base in Tuscany in 2011 and more time back in England with his pregnant girlfriend, making his whereabouts less easy to pin down.

UCI President Pat McQuaid denied any knowledge of the alleged missed test. “I don’t know if this is true,” he told the newspaper. “If a rider jumps one or two checks I am not informed.”

cavendish sky team

Cavendish enjoyed a spectacular 2011, winning the world championship in Copenhagen and the green jersey at the Tour De France. He also received two huge personal honours back home in his native Great Britain – an MBE for services to British cycling from The Queen and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. His big money transfer to Team Sky, where he will line-up alongside fellow British stars Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas, also made the headlines.

“We are excited to have been given the opportunity to equip one of the legendary programs in cycling and work closely with Team Manager Patrick Lefevere,” said Alex Wassmann, SRAM’s Global Sponsorship Manager. “The team’s DNA is about winning, and with the combination of leadership, riders, and bike technology [Specialized – ed], you have a program that will be a constant threat to win the world’s most challenging races.”

sram red 2012

SRAM’s first steps into the World of road racing dates back just five years, with its sponsorship of the Saunier Duval-Prodir team in 2007, supplying the team with its then new Force groupset. Since those early – and very recent – beginnings SRAM’s road has gone from strength to strength, winning its first Grand Tours the next season with Alberto Contador’s Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España victories.

A first ever Tour de France followed in 2009, with Contador topping an all-SRAM podium, ahead of Andy Schleck and Lance Armstrong. Contador took the Tour again the next year and, even if the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS) takes that result from the Spanish rider, SRAM will still have the victory through Schleck, who was in second place again.

Other major results include consecutive Paris-Roubaix victories, through Fabian Cancellara in 2010 and Johan Van Summeren in 2011, which is something that will especially interest the Belgian team; although, with its recent acquisition of World time trial champion Tony Martin and American Levi Leipheimer, Omega Pharma-Quick Step will also be impressed by SRAM’s Grand Tour pedigree.

“In their short history in road racing, SRAM road components have won the hardest races in the harshest conditions,” said Lefevere. “My team is ready for a fresh start, and the move to SRAM RED is one of the first steps, our bikes will be the fastest in the peloton.”

Omega Pharma-Quick Step becomes SRAM’s fifth team in the WorldTour; this is a drop from eight in 2011, although it remains a strong player in what was previously a two-horse groupset race. Japanese company Shimano still dominates, with ten of the eighteen teams riding its components in 2012, while Campagnolo now languishes in third with just three.

While the road team has yet to race their new bikes and components in anger, World cyclocross champion Zdenek Stybar has. The Czech raced – conspicuously on a pink Specialized bike – to fourth place in the GP Sven Nys in Baal, Belgium, on New Year’s Day.

With SRAM comes Zipp wheels and Quarq power

In addition to SRAM’s Red groupsets, the US company will also supply Omega Pharma-Quick Step with wheels by Zipp, and powermeters from recently acquired subsidiary Quarq. The company’s CinQo Saturn2 spider will be paired with Specialized’s S-Works carbon crank arms to complete the riders’ drivetrains.

Pre-season testing by Omega Pharma-Quick Step riders has apparently been highly positive.

“The acquisition and integration of Quarq reinforced what we already knew: the power meter is world class,” Jason Phillips, SRAM European Sponsorship Manager. “We’re excited to take a product ready for the diverse conditions and athletic demands of the ProTour back to where it belongs.”