Inside Triathlon interviewed First Endurance for their Bio Tech featured article in their November/December issue.  This article highlights a few nutrition companies that chose to focus on science rather than marketing gimmicks to develop products that didn’t just look good on paper, but had a solid foundation of research that’s specific to the endurance consumer.

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Manager Johan Bruyneel

I think it’s a very traditional course. There is a little bit less time trialing than normal but other than that there are no surprises. In the beginning the stage with the cobblestones can be tricky but other than that it is very predictable. It’s a pity that there is no team time trial. Now at least they have eliminated the TTT which I think is better than the strange rules – about the time won or lost after a TTT – that existed in the past. It’s either you have it or you don’t have it, without special rules. Now it is easy; there is no TTT. At least that is fair.

Alberto Contador

I like the course. It will be a better Tour for climbers than for rouleurs. Honestly I would have preferred a 10 K shorter time trial and a second one of 20 or 30 K, but I am really happy about the course. It will be a very difficult race to control in the first week, which is particularly difficult with the Paris-Roubaix cobblestones, but I don’t give it too much importance. The most important thing will be not to crash. I hope it will not rain there.

The Alps stages will be less hard. The Pyrenees will be twice as hard as this year, especially with the double climb of the Tourmalet, one of them with a mountaintop finish. I will recognize those stages to know more about them.

Lance Armstrong

I think it’s an interesting course. It starts exciting. The first few days will provide a lot of drama for people between the crosswinds in Holland and the hills in and around Brussels and Spa and then with of course the cobblestones when we first come into France. The cobbles themselves are dangerous but what is even more dangerous is the run into the cobblestones. The kilometers before, the nerves, the anticipation before, the positioning, that is the most dangerous part. You need obviously an all rounded team but I think you have to take some big guys who can definitely support you in that first week because with the cobble sections you have to be in the front. I remember we did those sections in 2004 and I had great support from Ekimov and Hincapie. We came in the cobble zones first. It makes a big difference.

There will be only 60 K individual time trial but the only thing that is unfortunate for us, is that there will be no team time trial. The race will technically and tactically be much different than this year. You will have more guys who will be factors in the race because of the lack of the team time trial. In 2009 the TTT eliminated half of a dozen guys.

I think the organizers like what they had this year with a summit finish so late in the race. It keeps things close, it keeps everybody guessing. It keeps the riders sharp too. The race will not be decided before the last three or four days. Two times on the Tourmalet is unique too. I like it.

I will be close to 39 years old but the goal and ambition will be to try to win. I’m excited for the whole upcoming season. I like to think that I will be better than last year but Alberto has shown that he is the best in his sport right now; he will be tough to beat.

Alberto Contador To Ride For 2010 Astana Cycling Team

In order to clarify some misunderstandings reported in the media, the Astana Cycling Team Management reconfirms that 2009 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is expected to ride for Team Astana in 2010. Prior to the 2008 season, Contador signed a three-year contract with Team Astana, ensuring that the rider will represent the Kazakh sponsored team for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Rinus Wagtmans, official spokesperson for the Kazakh authorities, emphasizes that the Kazakh sponsors are excited about the future of Team Astana. “Our sponsors are keen to continue with the Team at least till the end of 2013. It is clear that Alberto Contador will be our absolute leader of the Team for next season. We are surprised to read that many other teams have reportedly shown their intention to engage our Tour winner when he remains under contract. A transfer is not negotiable and we will honor the signed contract. We look forward to more victories from Alberto in 2010.”

Wagtmans concluded that he has spoken with General Manager Johan Bruyneel about the successful season. “Johan has ensured that he, as well as all riders and staff of the Team are looking forward to the remaining part of the season and hopeful for more victories.”

By Cathy Mehl

 In the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe, First Endurance rider Alberto Contador (Team Astana) held up two fingers on each hand to signify his second Tour de France win in what played out to be a near-perfect ride for the young Spanish champion. Contador took both a mountain stage and time trial win, along with the victory for the team time trial, making for a well-rounded Tour from the world’s current best stage racer.  After almost 85-hours of racing, Contador’s gap to second place was a dominant four minutes, satisfying even nay-sayers that his repeat performance at the top of the podium in Paris is not a fluke. Coming in 4:11 behind Contador was Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and rounding out the podium was seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong in his return to the sport after a four year retirement.  Team Astana also took the win in the Teams classification, a testament to the hard work put in by 6th place finisher Andreas Klöden, Sergio Paulinho, Yaroslav Popovych, Haimar Zubeldia, Gregory Rast, Dmitriy Muravyev and Levi Leipheimer to put two men on the podium.

Champagne, pats on the back and plenty of animated chatter among the riders was the scene in the early part of today’s stage. After a casual ride from the countryside into the city of Paris on a beautiful summer’s day, Team Astana rode first on to theChamps Élysées, led by hard-working Rast at the front of the group, the boys in blue lined up behind him with Contador in yellow safely tucked behind Armstrong.  Then the peloton went into over-drive with several groups going off the front, including a strong seven-man break that included Thomas Voeckler (Bbox-Bouygues-Telecom) and Fumy Beppu (Skil-Shimano).  Columbia-HTC made sure they rode hard at the front to keep the break from staying away and methodically shut it down by the last lap.

 During the bell lap as the peloton approached the half-way point on the lap, Garmin tried to outfox the Columbia-HTC team by going to the front early, but they arrived one man short and had a little too far to go to make it stick.  Under the 1km to go red kite George Hincapie held court at the front of the peloton with Mark Renshaw and Mark Cavendish lined up just behind.  Coming into the final corner onto the Champs Élysées Renshaw and Cavendish hit it first with everyone else having to slow to get back on the line.  That was all the two in front needed to get First Endurance rider Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HCT) ramped up and speeding for the finish line, horizoning all other sprinters, far enough ahead that his lead-out man Renshaw captured second on the stage. 

This win makes nine Tour wins for General Manager Johan Bruyneel…that’s nine in 11 years for the master strategist who relishes the challenge of winning the Tour…again and again and again. Not to be over-looked are the other Tour sports directors: Alain Gallopin, Viatcheslav Ekimov and Dirk Demol. And of course congratulations to all the hard-working staff as well. Well done!

96th Tour de France

Stage 18: Annecy to Annecy, ITT, 40km/25mi

By Cathy Mehl

As the 96th Tour de France wound down to the final four stages, it was a day for each rider to test his legs and race alone against the clock in the last individual time trial for this year’s July love-fest with cycling.  It was a final opportunity to gain time before the climb to Mont Ventoux on Saturday. There would be no holding back and no place to hide on the 40km/25mi course. As the race leader Alberto Contador rolled down the start ramp last, decked out completely in yellow, Saxo Bank’s Fabian Cancellara held the lead by 12-seconds to Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha) with a top time of 48.33.  Contador started out fast and quite frankly never slowed down, crossing three of the four time checks in first place and nipping Cancellara on the line by three seconds with a winning time of 48.31, claiming his third stage win in this year’s Tour.  Celebrating with a single fist pump to the air, Contador expanded his overall lead to 4.11 to Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank).  With only the climb to Ventoux still to challenge the Spanish rider, the win in Paris is looking more and more solid for Alberto Contador.

While not ending up at the top on the stage, Lance Armstrong rode a strong race and moved himself into third place on the general classification.  Steady on the bike and looking relaxed the entire way, Armstrong rode within himself and clawed his way onto the podium, jumping over Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) who slipped to 6th, and holding off Bradley Wiggins (Garmin) who now sits in 4th.  Team Astana’s Andreas Kloden produced a good ride as well, taking 9th on the day and rounds out the top five overall. With three stages to go, Astana Cycling Team have three riders in the top five, and only 13-seconds separate 3rd through 5th positions. Can you say Mont Ventoux?

Asked how he felt on today’s time trial course, Armstrong answered, “I suffered! I probably started too hard  or maybe I was just empty from yesterday, those cramps I suffered at the end.  I felt good at the beginning.  I felt smooth, aero…of course it was a tail wind and everybody felt good!  I wasn’t that strong on the climb but I guess the end result was ok as far as the GC goes.”  Armstrong also talked about needing a much better ride to jump into second-place on the overall: “Well, sixteenth in a TT is not a good result but if my ambition was to be on the podium I have to be happy with that.  I’ll try to protect it (third-place) but it will be hard to move up with Andy climbing so well.  I’ll just watch for the moves there (on Ventoux) and not let them get away.”

A total of 158 riders rolled down the ramp in to ride on course around beautiful Lake Annecy for almost an hour at full gas. While touted as a “flat” course, the reality was the flats were difficult, the hill was harder than it looked and the wind blew off the lake in the afternoon.  There were four time checks on course at 18, 25, 28.5 and 37km, including the climb of the Cote de Bluffy midway through the course. An early best time was set by Mikhail Ignatiev (Katusha) but once Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara took to the course he topped the leader board with a time-to-beat of 48.33 and held the lead until Contador snatched the victory. Other good rides came from David Millar (Garmin), Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d-Epargne) as well as Wiggins who took 6th.