2012 Tour de France, Prologue Results

Cancellara in yellow on day one - for the 5th time!

Cancellara was the first rider born in the 1980s to win at the Tour de France and that was in  Liège eight years ago when he beat the eventual winner of the 2004 Tour, Lance Armstrong, by two seconds. This time around he beat one of the favorites for the title, Bradley Wiggins by seven seconds. Each time the Tour has started on foreign soil since he first started winning at the Tour, Cancellara has won on the opening day. He matches Bernard Hinault's efforts of winning on day one five times. The four-time TT world champion will take the yellow jersey again (matching his efforts from Liege in 2004, London in 2007, Monaco in 2009, Rotterdam in 2010).

Immediately after finishing 14th, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) said, "I'm not a specialist but I think I did very well. In the morning I rode and studied the route very carefully (the prologue started at 2pm). I am very satisfied with my test."

Michele Scarponi finished 129th (of 198 riders) saying afterwards, "Generally, I suffer in prologues. I imagined that I might lose several seconds to the specialists but my test was still good. If I have to search for where I could have improved I would say that I did not push hard enough in the first two roundabouts when the wind was blowing in a favorable direction and I was not aggressive enough in tackling the curves on the cobblestones."

Full results:
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) RadioShack-Nissan 0:07:13
2 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:07
3 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
4 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:10
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 0:00:11
6 Brett Lancaster (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
7 Patrick Gretsch (Ger) Argos - Shimano 0:00:12
8 Denis Menchov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:13
9 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) BMC Racing Team
10 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team 0:00:15
11 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 0:00:16
12 Peter Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep 0:00:17
13 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team
14 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:18
15 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Sharp
16 David Millar (GBr) Garmin - Sharp
17 Stephen Cummings (GBr) BMC Racing Team
18 Jens Voigt (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:19
19 Andreas Klöden (Ger) RadioShack-Nissan
20 Nick Nuyens (Bel) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:00:20
21 Michael Albasini (Swi) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
22 George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
23 Greg Henderson (NZl) Lotto Belisol Team
24 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
25 Marcel Kittel (Ger) Argos - Shimano 0:00:21
26 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) Movistar Team
27 Christian Knees (Ger) Sky Procycling
28 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
29 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
30 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp
31 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:22
32 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
33 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Liquigas-Cannondale
34 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
35 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Sharp
36 Richie Porte (Aus) Sky Procycling
37 Rein Taaramae (Est) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
38 Jérémy Roy (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
39 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
40 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:00:23
41 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling
42 Jean-Christophe Peraud (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
43 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
44 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
45 Tony Martin (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
46 Marco Marcato (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
47 Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:24
48 Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
49 Gustav Larsson (Swe) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
50 Haimar Zubeldia Agirre (Spa) RadioShack-Nissan
51 Michael Morkov (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
52 Wout Poels (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
53 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
54 Sergio Miguel Moreira Paulinho (Por) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
55 Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin - Sharp
56 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:25
57 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) Movistar Team
58 Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
59 Rui Alberto Faria Da Costa (Por) Movistar Team
60 Pieter Weening (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
61 Michael Rogers (Aus) Sky Procycling
62 Jerome Coppel (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
63 Kanstantsin Sivtsov (Blr) Sky Procycling
64 Bram Tankink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
65 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:26
66 Alexandr Vinokourov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
67 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) Movistar Team
68 Alessandro Vanotti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
69 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Sharp
70 Bert Grabsch (Ger) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
71 Fredrik Kessiakoff (Swe) Astana Pro Team
72 Koen De Kort (Ned) Argos - Shimano 0:00:27
73 Anthony Roux (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
74 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
75 Blel Kadri (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:28
76 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
77 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
78 Danilo Hondo (Ger) Lampre - ISD
79 Adam Hansen (Aus) Lotto Belisol Team
80 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
81 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) BMC Racing Team
82 Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team
83 Tony Gallopin (Fra) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:29
84 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
85 Christophe Riblon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
86 Dries Devenyns (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
87 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
88 Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
89 Michael Schär (Swi) BMC Racing Team
90 Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
91 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin - Sharp 0:00:30
92 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
93 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
94 Amaël Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team
95 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Rabobank Cycling Team
96 Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:31
97 Maxime Bouet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
98 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) Movistar Team
99 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
100 Thomas Danielson (USA) Garmin - Sharp
101 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Sky Procycling 0:00:32
102 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
103 Rob Ruijgh (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
104 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:33
105 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team
106 Robert Hunter (RSA) Garmin - Sharp
107 Gorka Izagirre Insausti (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
108 Nicki Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
109 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar
110 Tom Veelers (Ned) Argos - Shimano 0:00:34
111 Albert Timmer (Ned) Argos - Shimano
112 Juan José Haedo (Arg) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
113 Christopher Horner (USA) RadioShack-Nissan
114 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale
115 Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
116 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:35
117 Pablo Urtasun Perez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
118 Laurens Ten Dam (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
119 Eduard Vorganov (Rus) Katusha Team
120 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) Katusha Team 0:00:36
121 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) RadioShack-Nissan
122 Christophe Kern (Fra) Team Europcar
123 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
124 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
125 Dmitriy Fofonov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
126 Martin Velits (Svk) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
127 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Belisol Team 0:00:37
128 Dominik Nerz (Ger) Liquigas-Cannondale
129 Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD
130 Kevin De Weert (Bel) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
131 Yann Huguet (Fra) Argos - Shimano
132 Jonathan Cantwell (Aus) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
133 Luca Paolini (Ita) Katusha Team 0:00:38
134 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
135 Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
136 Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan
137 Sébastien Minard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
138 Chris Anker Sörensen (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
139 David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:39
140 Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
141 Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
142 Baden Cooke (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
143 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Argos - Shimano 0:00:40
144 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank
145 Samuel Sanchez Gonzalez (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
146 Anthony Delaplace (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
147 Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
148 Fabrice Jeandesboz (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:00:41
149 Jorge Azanza Soto (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
150 Brice Feillu (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
151 Yury Trofimov (Rus) Katusha Team 0:00:42
152 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana Pro Team
153 Joan Horrach Rippoll (Spa) Katusha Team
154 Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha Team
155 Francis De Greef (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
156 Federico Canuti (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:43
157 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat
158 Kenny Robert Van Hummel (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
159 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Rabobank Cycling Team 0:00:44
160 Hubert Dupont (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
161 Juan Jose Cobo Acebo (Spa) Movistar Team
162 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
163 Yohann Gene (Fra) Team Europcar
164 Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
165 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) Argos - Shimano 0:00:45
166 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Team Europcar
167 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
168 Giovanni Bernaudeau (Fra) Team Europcar
169 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Lotto Belisol Team
170 Simone Stortoni (Ita) Lampre - ISD
171 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:46
172 Julien Simon (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
173 Davide Malacarne (Ita) Team Europcar
174 Cyril Gautier (Fra) Team Europcar
175 Rémy Di Gregorio (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:47
176 Johnny Hoogerland (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
177 Nicolas Edet (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
178 Romain Zingle (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 0:00:48
179 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team 0:00:49
180 Yauheni Hutarovich (Blr) FDJ-Big Mat
181 Cédric Pineau (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat 0:00:50
182 Yuriy Krivtsov (Fra) Lampre - ISD
183 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
184 Guillaume Levarlet (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 0:00:51
185 Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre - ISD 0:00:52
186 Amets Txurruka (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
187 Marco Marzano (Ita) Lampre - ISD
188 Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team 0:00:55
189 Vincent Jerome (Fra) Team Europcar 0:00:57
190 Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
191 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:01:01
192 Jean Marc Marino (Fra) Saur - Sojasun
193 Davide Vigano (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:01:02
194 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi
195 Anders Lund (Den) Team Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank 0:01:03
196 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) Lampre - ISD 0:01:05
197 Mikael Cherel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:06
198 Roy Curvers (Ned) Argos - Shimano

Tomorrow: Stage 1, Liège-Seraing, 198 km. TdF analysis by Jean-François Pescheux:
"This stage is no leg breaker, but it still is bumpy enough to dampen the hopes of pure sprinters. In other words, I do not think Cavendish will be among those fighting for the win. I hope I am wrong, but I think he will be dropped before reaching Seraing. The course is less demanding than in 1995, when Bruyneel and Indurain blew the race apart on the road to Liège, but it comes very close to the Ardennes and, at 198 km, the stage distance is nothing to sneeze at. In short, we wanted to preserve the peloton's energy while setting the tone for the rest of the race. We will see..."

Photos by: Bettini

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New Wilier "Cento1SR" Unveiling at Tour de France

Wilier Triestina will unveil their new road bike creation tomorrow, the Lampre-ISD team will begin riding the new model on Stage 1 from Liège to Seraing.

The new "Cento1SR" is said to have been developed with the experience gained from the current Cento1, the lightweight Zero.7 and the Twin Foil TT bike.



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Team Sky Extends with Pinarello Through 2013

The L'Equipe story that Team Sky was dropping Pinarello in favor of Specialized is not coming true, at least not until 2014. Team Sky will ride Pinarello bikes next season after agreeing to extend their current sponsorship until the end of 2013.

After the story broke, Luciano Fusar Poli, Managing Director for Pinarello, responded to the L'Equipe story saying, "We have a three year contract which ends at the end of 2012 so we’re still the sponsor and the bike supplier. Negotiations are going very well and we have a good relationship with the team and we’re hopeful. There’s no problem, so far. Team Sky is the best team in the peloton at the moment, not only for performance but for the image and the way they’re running the team so many of the big companies could be interested. We’ve had a three-year relationship with the team and the British Cycling Federation, and they’ve been three fantastic years. We’ve developed a lot of products with them and we’ve improved our knowledge and given them good products to ride. I think negotiations will be concluded very soon. Legally nothing can be announced soon but we’re negotiating and in a good position."

Today, Team Sky announced the new agreement with Pinarello as follows:

A founding partner of the team from its inaugural season in 2010, Pinarello has provided Team Sky with winning equipment from the outset, including this year’s hugely successful Dogma 2 road race and Graal time trial bikes.

The highly-respected company has worked closely with riders and performance staff at Team Sky to develop the team’s bikes - a partnership which to date has yielded 85 victories in 18 countries.

Heading into the Tour de France as the number one ranked team in the world, with a potential winner in Bradley Wiggins as well as World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish, Team Sky has shown a clear progression during each of its three seasons to date.

Dedication to performance

Team Sky’s Head of Operations Carsten Jeppesen said: “Team Sky are really happy to have Pinarello as a partner and look forward to building upon what is already a really strong working relationship.

“From a performance perspective we have come a long way in the three years we have been working with Pinarello to date. Their dedication to performance and servicing the team really sets them apart.

“Together we have developed a number of new models which have performed at the highest level and we aim to continue that trend. We already have some exciting plans for next year on the development front. As a team we are always looking to improve and with Pinarello we have the best possible opportunity to do that.”

President of Cicli Pinarello Fausto Pinarello agreed, adding: “Working with Team Sky has been hugely rewarding for Pinarello in the last three years and we are delighted that the team will again use our bikes during the 2013 season.

“Pinarello and Team Sky have worked closely together to develop our bikes and we’re proud to have played a part in Team Sky becoming the best team in the world. 2012 has been a great season so far but there is so much more to come in the near and long-term future.

“We’re already working hard to ensure Team Sky will again have the best bikes in the peloton in 2013.”

Team Sky will use the Dogma 2 road race bike and the Graal time trial machine at this year’s Tour de France.

Photo: Bradley Wiggins on his Pinarello Dogma 2

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2012 Tour de France

The 99th edition of the Tour de France gets underway tomorrow with a 6.4km prologue in the "Grand Départ" city of Liège, Belgium.

Here at ICJ we'll focus on the Italian teams and riders during the race.

The route:




The defending champion: Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team)

Some important statistics:
22 teams (Liquigas-Cannondale, and Lampre-ISD are the Italian teams)
198 riders
31 nations represented at the start
23 riders who are eligible for the youth classification (white jersey)
Oldest rider: Jens Voigt (RNT) – 40 years, nine months and 13 days old at the start
Youngest rider: Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) – 22 years, one month and one day old at the start
1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,497 kilometers
9 flat stages
4 medium mountain stages - one with a summit finish
5 mountain stages - two with a summit finish
2 individual time-trial stages
1 prologue
2 rest days

The start list:
The The official start list of the 99th Tour de France was published earlier today, complete with the race numbers of all riders. Yesterday there was a remote chance that one rider may have been replaced between the team presentation and the start of the prologue as David Millar of the Garmin-Sharp team was suffering an illness. LeTour.fr contacted the directeur sportif of the outfit, Allan Peiper, who confirmed that – although he had been vomiting and was unwell for a couple of days – Millar will in fact take the start. Start list here.

In what is believed will be a first for women’s cycling, a team of six amateur women will take on the ultimate road cycling challenge of a complete grand tour. Starting in Liège today, and always one day ahead of the pro peloton, the riders will complete the entire parcours of the 2012 Tour de France arriving in Paris on the 21st of July. In the process they’ll prove to themselves, other female cyclists, and women thinking about taking up the sport, that any bicycle dream is possible. Follow them at www.reve.cc


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Cinelli: The Art and Design of the Bicycle

This new hardcover book of 240 pages is scheduled to be released  on October 9, 2012 and can be pre-orderd on www.amazon.com.

Written by Lodovico Pignatti Morano with contributions by Antonio Colombo, Felice Gimondi, Barry McGee and Sir Paul Smith.

Book description:
"A beautifully illustrated survey of more than sixty-five years of work by one of the most pioneering and influential names in bicycle design. Since Cino Cinelli began making frames in Italy in the 1940s, Cinelli has set the standards for bicycle and component design. Cinelli has led the evolution of professional cycling and defined the ideal of the classic bicycle: from the classic Supercorsa racing frame to the cutting-edge MASH fixed-gear pursuit bikes ubiquitous on the urban riding scene; from innovations such as the first plastic racing saddles to the controversial Spinaci handlebars, banned from competition; and from timeless components, such as the Alter stem, to iconic meetings of art and design such as Keith Haring’s treatment of the hour record-setting Laser. With contributions by legendary riders such as Felice Gimondi and Gilberto Simoni, and by collaborators, from artists like Mike Giant to designers such as San Francisco’s graphic impresario Benny Gold, and featuring a conversation between fashion designer Sir Paul Smith and Cinelli president Antonio Colombo, Cinelli is the definitive look at how beauty and technology can meet in this simplest form of design."

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2012 GiroDonne (Giro d’Italia Femminile)

The 23rd edition of the GiroDonne, Giro d’Italia Femminile (Women's Giro d'Italia), get's underway tomorrow, June 29th, in Naples. The race, the most important stage race on the women's calendar, will finish in Bergamo after nine stages. The race will cover nearly 1000 km through seven regions, Campania, Lazio, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Piedmont and Lombardy. A shame that the most important woman's stage race will be in the shadows of the Tour de France.

Raisport 2 will have a 50 minute daily program from 7.00 pm to 7.50 pm (Italy), with a replay at approximately 11.00 pm. It will be possible to follow the coverage through Raisport 2 streaming on the web  at the same time at www.raisport.rai.it.

Photo: last year's winner, in Maglia Rosa DIADORA, Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit)

The stages:
29 June: Napoli - Terracina (LT) 139 km
30 June: Roma - Roma 8 km individual time trial
1 July: Montecatini (PT) - Montecatini (PT) 99 km
2 July: Vernio (PO) - Castiglione dei Pepoli (BO) 126 km
3 July: Polesella (RO) - Molinella (BO) 126 km
4 July: Modena - Salsomaggiore (PR) 124 km
5 July: Salice Terme (PV) - Castagnole delle Lanze (AT) 120 km
6 July: Crugnola di Mornago (VA) - Lonate Pozzolo (VA) 117 km
7 July: Sarnico (BG) - Bergamo 108 km

The start list:

STICHTING RABOBANK
1 1 VOS Marianne NED
2 ANTOSHINA Tatiana RUS
3 DE VOCHT Liesbet BEL
4 DUSTER Sarah GER
5 FERRAND PREVOT Pauline FRA
6 KNETEMANN Roxane NED
7 SLAPPENDEL Iris NED
8 VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek NED

AADRINK LEONTIEN.NL
11 POOLEY Emma GBR
12 BRAND Lucinda NED
13 BLAAK Chantal NED
14 VAN WANROIJ Marieke NED
15 LAWS Sharon GBR
16 OLDS Shelley USA
17 MARTIN Lucy GBR
18 RYAN Carla AUS

LOTTO BELISOL LADIES
21 DE GROOT Robyn RSA
22 HENRION Ludivine BEL
23 MOOLMAN Ashleigh RSA
24 TAYLOR Cherise RSA
25 VAN DE WINKEL Joanna RSA
26 PRETORIUS An Li RSA
27 OLIVIER Lise RSA
28 VAN LOOY Katrien BEL

GREENEDGE AIS
31 HAUSLER Claudia GER
32 ARNDT Judith GER
33 GILLOW Shara AUS
34 GUNNEWIJK Loes NED
35 VILLUMSEN Linda NZL
36 RHODES Alexis AUS
37 SPRATT Amanda AUS
38 CROMWELL Tiffany AUS

RUSVELO
41 ABSALYAMOVA Verena RUS
42 BOYARSKAYA Natalia RUS
43 BUBNENKOVA Svetlana RUS
44 KASPER Romy GER
45 KONDEL Victoria RUS
46 KUPFERAGEL Hanka GER
47 MOLICHEVA Irina RUS
48 ZABELINSKAYA Olga RUS

HITEC PRODUCTS MISTRAL HOME
51 JOHANSSON Emma SWE
52 MUSTONEN Sara SWE
53 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa ITA
54 NØSTVOLD Lise NOR
55 WÆRSTED Frøydis NOR
56 FERRIER BRUNEAU Christel FRA
57 KAPUSTA Sylwia POL
58 JOHANSEN Cecilie NOR

FAREN HONDA TEAM
61 COOKE Nicole GBR
62 GALLOWAY Myfanwy AUS
63 GILMORE Rochelle AUS
64 ELVIN Gracie AUS
65 GRASSI Giuseppina MEX
66 HOHL Jennifer SUI
67 LUPERINI Fabiana ITA
68 UTROBINA Elena RUS

VAIANO TEPSO
71 LELEIVYTE Rasa LTU
72 ANDRUK Alona UKR
73 BASTIANELLI Valentina ITA
74 SOSNA Katarzyna LTU
75 SOSENKO Aleksandra LTU
76 SPALIVIERO Eleonora ITA
77 MARTINI Alessia ITA
78 TREVISI Anna ITA

HOLLAND NATIONAL TEAM
81 BRAS Martine NED
82 VISSER Adrie NED
83 LENTING Charlotte NED
84 LAVRIJSSEN Birgit NED
85 VAN DER BREGGEN Anna NED
86 DE BAAT Kim NED
87 SOEK Julia NED
88 TROMP Esra NED

MCIPOLLINI GIAMBENINI
91 BACCAILLE Monia ITA
92 BASTIANELLI Marta ITA
93 BORCHI Alessandra ITA
94 CARRETTA Valentina ITA
95 GUDERZO Tatiana ITA
96 JASINSKA Malgorzata POL
97 TAGLIAFERRO Marta ITA
98 ZORZI Susanna ITA

DIADORA PASTA ZARA
101 BRONZINI Giorgia ITA
102 BORGATO Giada ITA
103 CILVINAITE Inga LTU
104 D'ETTORRE Alessandra ITA
105 JANELIUNAITE Edita LTU
106 PIERCE Amber USA
107 SILINYTE Agne LTU
108 STEFANI Francesca ITA

BE PINK
111 CANTELE Noemi ITA
112 AMIALIUSIK Alena BLR
113 VALSECCHI Silvia ITA
114 FRAPPORTI Simona ITA
115 MARTISOVA Julia RUS19760615 BE PINK BPK
116 KOZONCHUK Oxana RUS
17 GEBHARDT Elke GER
118 ZRIMSEK Petra SLO

S.C. MICHELA FANINI ROX
121 TREIER Grete EST
122 BURCHENKOVA Alexsandra RUS
123 RUZICKOVA Martina CZE
124 MICHAL Ella ISR
125 LEAL BALDERAS Veronica MEX
126 SCANDOLARA Valentina ITA
127 FORESI Lorena ITA
128 GRIFI Sara ITA

FASSA BORTOLO SERVETTO
131 BERLATO Elena ITA
132 CAUZ Francesca ITA
133 CECCHEL Erika ITA
134 FIORI Jennifer ITA
135 GATTO Viviana ITA
136 GUARISCHI Barbara ITA
137 SCHWEIZER Doris SUI

VERINLEGNO FABIANI
141 BERTOLIN Odette ITA
142 BRAVIN Angela ITA
143 RATTO Rossella ITA
144 VANNI Chiara ITA
145 VENERITO Barbara ITA
146 VIECELI Lara ITA
147 FAURE Fleur FRA
148 GREGOROWICZ Dorota POL

TEAM SPECIALIZED LULULEMON
151 TEUTENBERG Ina Yoko GER
152 BRENNAUER Lisa GER
153 HOSKING Chloe AUS
154 COLCLOUGH Katie GBR
155 BECKER Charlotte GER
156 HUGHES Clara CAN
157 STACHER Ally USA
158 STEVENS Evelyn USA

FORNO D'ASOLO COLAVITA
161 CHULKOVA Anastasiya RUS
162 PAULIUKAITE Svetlana LTU
163 GAGGIOLI Whitney USA
164 FERNANDES DA SOUZA Uenia BRA
165 RACHETTO Liza USA
166 OLIVEIRA Flavia BRA
167 RIABCHENKO Tetyana UKR
168 SAARELAINEN Sari FIN




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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .  

Sella Ronda Bike Day

The climb toward Passo di Fedaia from above Caprile

Gruppo del Cir, left; Sass Songher above Corvara,  right

Val di Fassa and Canazei from Passo Sella

Riders descending looping road to Arabba

My thanks to Bill for his report on this year's Sella Ronda Bike Day, an annual event in which the road around the Sella Ronda in the Dolomites is closed to vehicular traffic.  Bill authors the Cycling Dolomiti Friulane blog where you can find his ride reports, including a few more photos of his ride. You can click on the images above to enlarge them.

As a reminder, we very much welcome your report.

Bill's report:

"Sella Ronda is one of the most beautiful bike rides in the world: four passes in the heart of the Dolomiti. Twice each year, once in June and once in September, the authorities close these roads to all cars, trucks and motorcycles. I missed last year's due to weather but later rode the Ronda clockwise by myself. Luckily this year the route is counterclockwise, so I had the chance to climb each of the four passes from the opposite side. They seemed completely different in this direction.

I left home around 0500 and drove via Longarons and Forcella Staulanza to Livinallongo. This provided an easy warm-up to Arabba. From there I headed up the deserted switchbacks to Passo Campolongo, an easy climb. Fun descent to Corvara, where a horde of cyclists from Cortina and beyond were getting underway. From Corvara you climb up to Passo di Gardena (2121m) through beautiful meadows flanked by Gruppo del Sella(3152m) on the left and Gruppo del Cir (3025m) on your right . An easy descent and climb from here to Passo Sella (2244m) beneath imposing Sassolungo (3181m). Now comes a fast descent toward Canazei, then you turn left at 1800m and start the climb up Passo Pordoi (2239m). This was more difficult than I had imagined while descending it last year, but still not bad.

The descent from Pordoi to Arabba is not to be missed- a series of switchbacks that seems to go on forever. Most fun of the day.

I cooled down on the easy ride back to the car at Livinallongo. Fantastic ride, with more bikers in 4 hours than I normally see in 4 months. A blast."
 


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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .

Liquigas and Lampre Announce Teams for Tour de France

The only two Italian teams in the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, June 30, both announced their team formations today:


Liquigas-Cannondale:
"Balanced, experienced and ready to support its leaders: these are the key qualities of the line-up selected by Liquigas-Cannondale for the Tour de France. The race opens on Saturday in Liège with a 6.4 km prologue and finishes in Paris on 22nd July. DS Stefano Zanatta, Mario Scirea and Paolo Slongo will be in charge of the nine green-blue riders.

As everyone knows Vincenzo Nibali, Peter Sagan and Ivan Basso have been chosen to lead the Liquigas-Cannondale team. The “Shark” is targeting the general classification, the Slovakian champion is hunting down stage wins and our man from Varese has the role of “director”. They are supported by riders with previous experience of the difficulties posed by the Grande Boucle, such as rouleurs Daniel Oss, Kristijan Koren, and Alessandro Vanotti and the climber Sylwester Szmyd. Federico Canuti and Dominik Nerz are on debut and complete the line-up.

"We’ve got a group determined of men for this race who are ready to support their captains’ ambitions," said Zanatta. "The guys know each other well; many of them have followed similar preparation programmes to help things go smoother during the race. We’ll be on the frontline in this Tour de France to support the ambitions of Nibali and Sagan, and we’re aware of the responsibilities awaiting us. We’re aiming for the top of the general classification and will support Vincenzo all the way to the last stage, plus we’ll strive to put Peter in the best possible position to win at least one stage. In his case it’s right to be ambitious but we’ll be mindful of the difficulties and pressures involved in a race like the Tour: the aim is to get a win and anything after that is a bonus. And finally Basso’s role will be essential for Nibali in the tougher stages and for managing the more intense phases of the race. His experience and charisma will be fundamental for helping the team when the pressure hots up."


Lampre-ISD
"It's an international mold for Lampre-ISD that will take part in the Tour de France (30 June-22 July): nine blue-fuchsia cyclists are from six Countries (Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Australia and Ukraine-France).

These are the nine riders: Grega Bole, Danilo Hondo, Yuriy Krivtsov, Matthew Lloyd, Marco Marzano, Alessandro Petacchi, Michele Scarponi, Simone Stortoni and Davide Viganò. The mix of Ukraine and France is due to Yuriy Krivtsov, who was born in Pervomaisk (Ukraine), but has a French passport.

In the staff of general manager Saronni there will be sport directors Fabrizio Bontempi and Maurizio Piovani, technical director Roberto Damiani, doctor Beltemacchi, masseurs Bertolone, Bolzonaro, Borgognoni, Capelli and Napolitano, mechanics Baron, Pengo and Romanò, driver Bozzolo and press office responsibles Appiani and Carlo Saronni.

The team will be characterized by two groups, one concerning the fast wheels (Petacchi and Bole could aim for top results in the sprints), the other one ready to be competitive on the climbs, with Scarponi who'll try to be a protagonist in the most demanding stages.

Some statistical data: the average age of the team in Tour de France will be 31 years old (the oldest Petacchi, 38 years old; the youngest Bole, 26 years old); the average height os 177 cm (Hondo the tallest, 186 cm; the shorter Stortoni, 169 cm); only Petacchi has won stages in the Tour de France."


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Paez, Schwing, Win 2012 Südtirol Sellaronda HERO

Forty minutes minutes of incessant rain fell shortly before the start of Südtirol Sellaronda HERO mtb race and Val Gardena was awash as the HERO was about to start. Fortunately the weather soon improved and brighter skies greeted the participants.

The top step on the podium for the race’s third edition, June 23rd, and the title of Südtirol Sellaronda HERO goes to Leonardo Paez. Paez, of Team Tx Active Bianchi finished the 82 km race (with a difference in altitude of a staggering 4.200 meters!) in a time of 4:33.16. Following him was Mirko Celestino of Team Avion Axevo Mtb Pro Team, which could do nothing against today’s winner, and who crossed the finishing line with 4:36.26. Third place sees Massimo Debertolis of Team Autopolar Volvo Cannondale, recording a time of 4:40.00.

The 30 year old Columbian winner, from Cienega, a small town in the Boyaca region of Columbia, commented, "It was a really tough race and I suffered a lot on the uphill stretches but even worse was the cold on the downhill parts, so much so that I thought at some points that I would have to drop out. Fortunately things got a bit easier andIi was able to warm up and stay ahead."

There is no doubt that the heroine of the day was Katrin Schwing with her winning time of 6:04.06. Following home the winner of the Trek Domatec Team and finishing in second place 48 seconds behind was the Austrian Verena Krenslehne of the Conway Racing Team with third position going to Barbara Kaltenhause of the Corratec World Team finishing 13 minutes behind the winner.

Among the amateurs was Pasquale Bruno, ex-soccer player of Juventus and Lazio; he finished the 82km route in 8:53.45.

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .

Giro d'Italia Classification Leaders Jersey Auction for UNICEF

More jerseys are on auction at Italian ebay to raise funds for UNICEF, supporting their global campaign movement to eliminate the 7.6 million deaths among children under age 5 that occur every year.

The auctions have a little more than one day remaining.

The auctions include:
Maglia Rosa/pink jersey signed by Ryder Hesjedal
Maglia Rossa/red jersey signed by J.Rodriguez Oliver
Maglia Azzurra/blue Jersey signed by M.Rabottini
Maglia Bianca/white Jersey signed by R. Uran Uran

Link to auction:  http://members.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=unicef_italia
Note: bidding is in euro; shipping worldwide is available



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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page . 

2013 Giro d'Italia Start: Napoli (Naples)

The 2013 Giro d'Italia will start in Napoli (Naples).

The most recent visit to Naples by the Giro was in 1996 when Mario Cipollini won the stage.  In 1968 Naples hosted the last stage, a Giro won by Eddy Merckx.

The video we posted about tailors in Naples was timely....

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New Pinarello Dogma, 65.1 Think 2

Lighter, electronic compatible (also for "old fashioned" cables), press fit BB. Also available in white/blue and red/white.

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .

Cataldo, Guderzo, New Italian TT Champions

Today, both the mens's and women's TT Italian national champions were crowned in Levico Terme.

In the men's TT (Professional/Open) the winner was Dario Cataldo (Omega Pharma-Quickstep). "I am a rider that has been a little overlooked," said Cataldo. "But, I am growing progressively and continuously. I'm not part of the team for the Olympics but I have no argument with CT Bettini. This victory may help bring attention to me for future occasions."
Men's top 10 (37 km course):
1 CATALDO Dario Omega Pharma-Quickstep 45.49
2 MALORI Adriano Lampre-Isd 45.51
3 PINOTTI Marco BMC Racing Team 46.24
4 DALL'ANTONIA Tiziano Liquigas-Cannondale 46.34
5 MOSER Moreno Liquigas-Cannondale 46.58
6 MARANGONI Alan Liquigas-Cannondale 47.23
7 MONTAGUTI Matteo Ag2r-La Mondiale 47.25
8 TRENTIN Matteo Omega Pharma-Quickstep 47.58
9 BALLONI Alfredo Farnese Vini-Selle Italia 48.05
10 BIONDO Maurizio Meridiana Kamen Team 48.12

The women's TT (Elite) was won by Tatania Guderzo (Gs Fiamme Azzurre). "I am happy for this victory because it brings me back to win in a specialty that I have always liked," said Guderzo. "I wanted to do well because this was the last test before the Giro d’Italia (Femminile) which is my most important goal of the season. Now, I'm leaving for Napoli, certain to arrive in good form to a Giro that will surely be fascinating."
Women's Top 10 (22.8 km course):
1 GUDERZO Tatiana Gs Fiamme Azzurre 32.10
2 LONGO BORGHINI Elisa Hitec Products Mistral 33.11
3 CANTELE Noemi Be Pink 33.23
4 VALSECCHI Silvia Be Pink 33.31
5 RATTO Rossella Verinlegno-Fabiani 33.32
6 FRAPPORTI Simona Be Pink 34.47
7 ZORZI Susanna MCipollini-Giambenini 35.09
8 VANNUCCI Chiara Verso l'Iride Maccari Spumanti 35.50
9 GATTO Viviana Fassa Bortolo Servetto 36.15
10 BASTIANELLI Marta Gs Fiamme Azzurre 36.34

Today was the last day of the Settimana Tricolore. 

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Franco Pellizotti, New Men's Italian RR Champion

After a very difficult race of 254.7 km, in which only 20 riders finished, Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) was the winner after 6h 43'12". Finishing 2nd and 3rd were Danilo Di Luca (Acqua&Sapone) at 27" and Moreno Moser (Liquigas-Cannondale) in same time.

Michele Scarponi was the main protagonist of the race having lead the race, first with 12 attackers and then by himself, for 120 km.

Scarponi attacked on Telve climb at 50 km to go and was the solitary leader until the penultimate loop (15 laps of the final circuit of 13.8 km) when he was joined by Vincenzo Nibali, Moser, Giampaolo Caruso, Di Luca and Pellizotti.

Pellizotti attacked on the last climb of the Telve and was not able to be caught.

"Since my return to racing this was my number one goal," said Pellizotti who just returned to racing on May 16th after a two year ban due to abnormalities in his biological passport. "Honestly, I considered myself a favorite on the eve of the race because I knew I felt good. In the end, especially in the penultimate lap, I realized that I was the one who was strongest and that it was time to act."



Top 10:
1. Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela)
2. Danilo Di Luca (Acqua&Sapone) at 27"
3. Moreno Moser (Liquigas-Cannondale)
4. Giampaolo Caruso (Katusha)
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) at 2'11"
6. Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Isd)
7. Simone Ponzi (Astana)
8. Daniele Ratto (Liquigas-Cannondale) at 3'16"
9. Francesco Gavazzi (Astana)
10. Matteo Rabottini (Farnese-Selle Italia)

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .

How to Improve the Giro d'Italia?

Michele Acquarone, Managing Director at RCS Sports (RCS owns the Giro d'Italia), in his most recent blog entry poses questions in six areas for improving the Giro d'Italia. Note that he says, "In the coming days, through our social media platforms, we will give space to these reflections, and we invite you to follow us and participate in the debate". The blog entry:


The more days pass, the more I am convinced that the success of the 2012 Giro d’Italia was born of the decision to build an open, transparent and continuous rapport with our stakeholders.

The channel of dialogue allows us to know and best interpret the tastes of our fans, and to understand the requirements of riders and teams alike. But this approach also obliges us to take all criticism into consideration and to learn from it so as to better our product.

Let’s try to summarize in six parts the points of reflection that the Giro has left us from a sporting point of view and which we will have to keep in mind when planning the 2013 season.

1. The route
For some, the race was open and exciting right up to the final metre of the time trial in Milan. For others, however, it was an overly-tactical race which provided few emotions. Last October 17, Harry Callaghan wrote to us: “with this ridiculous amount of ITT km you'll need a new L'Aquila or the race will be probably boring most of the time."
What do you think?

2. The climbs
When we presented the Giro, David Millar criticized the decision to insist on very demanding tapponi or queen stages. According to our own Mauro Vegni, long stages with 4 or 5 passes are the very soul of the Giro and of cycling itself because they give champions the chance to produce great exploits through memorable long breaks. Instead, for Millar, a more modern cycling should aim for shorter stages. 100 kilometers: up, down, up again. Fewer tactics and more emotion from the big riders, who give us spettacolo from the beginning to the end of the stage.
What do you think?

3. Strade bianche
According to our CEO Giacomo Catano, we should insert a nice stage of strade bianche into every Giro d’Italia. Tuscany, Umbria, the Marche and Piedmont give us many possibilities and we could discover some very evocative routes. Others don’t care for it, however, and believe that stages on dirt roads distort a grand tour.
What do you think?

4. Time bonuses
The decision not to award time bonuses in the mountain stages led to some discussion. I like the bonuses because I maintain that they add a bit of spice to the race. Should we go back to having time bonuses on all the stages or should we continue with the 2012 model of awarding bonuses only on some stages?
I’ll take the opportunity here to raise a provocative point – during the final debriefing on the Giro, our commercial director Lorenzo Giorgetti proposed allowing teams a pair of “jokers” to play during the race. Such a joker would be played by the team before the start of a stage and would double the time bonuses on offer to them in that particular stage. This decision would oblige teams to “reveal” their own race strategy before the start and would create more interest.
What do you think?

5. Points classification
The points classification began as a classification rewarding the regularity of the most multi-talented rider, one who was able to win points in every situation of the race. It’s evident in the Giro that the pure sprinters are disadvantaged. I wouldn’t mind transforming this special classification into a classification dedicated to the sprinters.
What do you think?

6. The sprints
On some occasions, we were criticised for having designed finales that were too technical for sprint finishes. Stefano Allocchio (who within our team represents the point of view of the rider) guarantees that the finishes of the 2012 Giro were designed to respect the security of the athletes, and he maintains that the stage finales with twists and turns ahead of the sprint are part of the history of the Giro and we shouldn’t give up on them. On the other hand, some people would like to see only long straights in the final 1000 metres so as to reduce the risk of crashes, and enjoy the power of the sprinters and their trains in full.
What do you think?

In the coming days, through our social media platforms, we will give space to these reflections, and we invite you to follow us and participate in the debate. It’s going to be interesting and some significant recommendations will certainly come out of it, which we will take into the greatest consideration.

Obviously, the invitation is open to everyone. To fans, but also to journalists, riders and insiders.

See you online
Michele
@micacquarone

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .

Giada Borgato, New Women's Italian RR Champion

Giada Borgato, rider for team Diadora Pasta Zara-Manhattan, is the new women's Italian national road race champion. The 23 year old from the Veneto was a surprise winner. Borgato was part of a group of 12 riders that escaped after 60 km. The group included big names in Italian women's cycling such as  Noemi Cantele, Tatiana Guderzo, Eva Lechner,  Marta Bastianelli, Fabiana Luperini, and Giorgia Bronzini.  

Silvia Valsecchi was 2nd, and Marta Bastianelli was 3rd.

A month ago Borgato was ready to stop riding, saying, " After five years in the elite class I did not have any results yet.  I had a bad period when I was sick and then a big crash, I really wanted to give it all up. I wondered how I could find a job, not having even gone to college so I could race. My family has been instrumental in supporting me, they convinced me to stick it out, and now I can say that it was worth it."

First 1'30" of this video applies to this, women's elite, race:



Top 10:
1 BORGATO Giada Diadora - Pasta Zara - Manhattan 3.37.06
2 VALSECCHI Silvia Be Pink + 1.04
3 BASTIANELLI Marta GS Fiamme Azzurre + 2.47
4 CARRETTA Valentina MCipollini-Giambenini + 2.48
5 BACCAILLE Monia GS Fiamme Azzurre + 5.30
6 SCANDOLARA Valentina Sc Michela Fanini Rox + 5.30
7 GUARISCHI Barbara Fassa Bortolo-Servetto + 5.30
8 D'ETTORRE Alessandra Gruppo Sportivo Forestale + 5.30
9 TAGLIAFERRO Marta GS Fiamme Azzurre + 5.30
10 VANNUCCI Chiara Verso l'Iride Maccari Spumanti + 5.31.

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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .

SARTO Cycles

You may have noticed the SARTO Cycles advertisements that began appearing last week in the column on the right. SARTO is the first advertiser in the Italian Cycling Journal since I began more than 5 years ago. There is a reason for that but let me first explain the reason for starting ICJ: a simple desire to share a passion about Italian cycling.

For me, part of the passion is the Italian bicycles themselves.  I want to bring to your attention the small fifteen-person workshop near Venice (Venezia) that is SARTO Cycles. SARTO was founded by Antonio Sarto who traces his framebuilding history back to 1959. Today, the workshop produces 100% handmade frames, made completely in the Veneto.

As fate would have it, sarto is the Italian word for tailor. Not surprisingly, SARTO specializes in building custom frames, like a tailor that creates a one-of-a-kind garment for his client as so beautifully captured in this video:



Like a one-of-a-kind garment, a custom frame can have many elements of customization. At SARTO Cycles, where the tube-to-tube construction method is used, custom geometry needs can be met and tubes can be selected for stiffness, shape and weight, and the amount of joint strengthening can be decided upon all in order to create the desired ride characteristic.

Of course, it is very nice to have a frame built to your exact specifications. For many, that may not be necessary. To meet this need, SARTO has standard models that are handmade to the same high level of quality as are their custom frames. All frames, custom and standard, have a lifetime warranty.

I encourage you to visit www.sartocycles.com (or click on the SARTO image to the right at any time), explore the website carefully, and use their "CONTACT US" button to ask for additional information.

The SARTO workshop:


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Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. There are more than 2,500 stories in this blog. The search feature to the right works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button at the bottom so you can translate each page .