Dominant, overpowering, superior, controlling, assertive, authoritative, commanding, powerful, supreme, transcendent. Somewhere Saul Bellow is smiling, as the use of a single superlative simply fails to accurately capture Fabian Cancellara's performance this past Sunday, and for that matter this past week.

On a day usually referred to as "A Sunday In Hell," the current Ronde van Vlaanderen champion tamed the Roubaix cobbles and made it look more like a Sunday ride in the park.

Instinctively attacking his most powerful adversary, Tom Boonen (Quick Step), who had momentarily paused from his own relentless attacking, within 50kms of the finish line, Cancellara's move was so utterly demonstrative that the outcome of the race was decided in a few pedal strokes.

With front end bouncing like a hydraulically enhanced low-rider and a chain bobbing unbridled as if trying to wrestle itself free from the rest of his Specialized machine, the 29-year Swiss rider cruised solo to his second Paris-Roubaix victory, and in the process completed the rare Spring Classics double.

Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) and Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky Professional Cycling Team) were the best of the rest, breaking away late from a tired and dwindling elite group of riders.

Results
1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank
2. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
3. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Professional Cycling Team

Extraordinary Times

Fans of the one-day Classics are truly living in extraordinary times. In 2008, coincidentally after Tom Boonen's second Roubaix victory, I remarked that cycling was entering a new "Golden Age." With trio of riders, Cancellara, Boonen and Ballan, under the age of 30, Classics fans were sure to be treated to greatness for some time to come. And with the exception of Ballan, who has been slowed by some injuries, Boonen and Cancellara have not disappointed. Both are now part of select group of 27 riders who have won more than 3 of the 5 monuments of cycling.

Like most cycling fans of a certain age, I often wonder what it was like when the legends like Merckx, De Vlaeminck, Van Looy, Moser, and Kelly once ruled the Classics planet. But unless you are irreparably nostalgic, cycling legends — perhaps soon to go down in the history books as "the greatest" — are currently riding, and winning, right under your noses.

Other Notables
4. Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervelo Test Team
5. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
7. Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha
8. Leif Hoste (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
10. Hayden Roulston (NZl) Team HTC - Columbia
26. Michael Barry (Can) Sky Professional Cycling Team
29. George Hincapie (USA) Bmc Racing Team
33. Dominique Rollin (Can) Cervelo Test Team
42. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step
48. Bjorn Selander (USA) Team RadioShack
63. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo

Photo: REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

Molenberg Proves Crucial For Both Men and Women

It should come as no surprise that a man nicknamed Spartacus is quickly becoming a folk hero whose legend seems to grow with each victory. Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank) proved to be the strongest of an exceptional field, and cruised to his first Ronde van Vlaanderen victory ahead of Tom Boonen (Quick Step) and Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto). Cancellara would be the first Swiss rider to win the Ronde since Heinrich 'Heiri' Suter pulled off the feat in 1923.

"I suppose it was a perfect race," Cancellara would tell Cyclingnews immediately after the race. "Even my attacks were perfectly timed. Going on the Molenberg was the right moment and then I had to try on the Muur because that's where the legend and history of this race are made. When I realized I'd dropped Boonen it was like having wings on my feet and kept going all the way to the finish."

In winning his third monument [Paris-Roubaix (2006), Milano-San Remo (2008), and Ronde van Vlaanderen (2010)] Cancellara joins an elite group of cyclists, and is only two [Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro di Lombardia] from joining the Belgian trio of Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, and Rik Van Looy to have won all five monuments of cycling.

Results - Men
1. Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank
2. Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
3. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto

Slipping Away?

Ever since George Hincapie (BMC Racing) arrived on the cycling scene, he has single-handedly carried, whether fairly or unfairly, American hopes in the Classics. He has triumphed in Gent-Wevelgem (2001) and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (2002) and come agonizingly close to victory in the monuments, Ronde van Vlaanderen (third) and Paris-Roubaix (second). And whether in victory or defeat, Hincapie has shown the class that has endeared him to fans and competitors, alike.

But even at age 36, it seems that Hincapie is still waiting for something.

Hincapie would tell Velonews after Sunday's Flanders, “I’m disappointed. I had good legs on the Molenberg and I hesitated when Fabian and Tom went. That was a big mistake, and from then on everyone in the chase was watching each other. I got a little caught behind the breakaway guys we were catching on Molenberg, and that was a big mistake. I really think I could have gone there, but it’s Flanders, and you have to be 100 percent focused at all times. It’s really unfortunate, I think I could have gone with them. I had really good legs today.”

Yes, Hincapie finished in a more than respectable 6th placed this past Sunday, but ever since the 2001 "Hell of the North," a race in which Hincapie took the initiative but lost, he has seemed gun shy; waiting for the race to evolve rather than being an instigator of the outcome.

On a similar day in 2005, a day in which he clearly had the legs to claim the Ronde, Hincapie had to settle for third and once again face the glare of the post-race spotlights to answer the question of why his then Discovery Channel teammate, Leif Hoste, took the initiative to make the race rather than him. With another Queen of the Classics set to run this Sunday, and quite possibly one of the final time he faces the cobbles of Roubaix, let us hope that Big George can channel a little bit of his former boss, Lance Armstrong, and finally "stand up and slam his fist on the table."

Other Notables - Men
5. Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Transitions
6. George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
7. Roger Hammond (GBr) Cervelo Test Team
20. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) BMC Racing Team
24. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Quick Step
25. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step
27. Lance Armstrong (USA) Team Radioshack
29. Leif Hoste (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
34. Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Professional Cycling Team
35. Alessandro Ballan (Ita) BMC Racing Team
42. Dominique Rollin (Can) Cervelo Test Team
48. Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas-Doimo
53. Kurt Asle Arvesen (Nor) Sky Professional Cycling Team
57. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervelo Test Team
DNF - Nick Nuyens (Bel) Rabobank
DNF - Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team HTC - Columbia
DNF - Robbie McEwen (Aus) Team Katusha
DNF - Servais Knaven (Ned) Team Milram
DNF - Baden Cooke (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
DNF - Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team Saxo Bank
DNF - Jackson Stewart (USA) BMC Racing Team

Vrouwen to Verbeke

Twenty-five year old, Grace Verbeke (Lotto Ladies Team), would take the biggest victory of her young career in front of a hometown Belgian crowd ahead of Marianne Vos (Nederland Bloeit) and Kirsten Wild (Cervelo TestTeam), who finished in second and third, respectively. Surprisingly, Verbeke would become the first Belgian ever to win the Tour of Flanders.

She would tell Cyclingnews, “On the Molenberg [the fourth climb, after 74km] I forced it, and went hard. "It was not the plan - I wanted to go on the Muur [-Kapelmuur, the eighth and penultimate climb, 16km from the finish] but it was very muddy and very tricky, so I just wanted to be first up. I forced it and when I looked back I had a nice gap, which was a surprise."

Results - Women
1. Grace Verbeke (Bel) Lotto Ladies Team
2. Marianne Vos (Ned) Nederland Bloeit
3. Kirsten Wild (Ned) Cervelo TestTeam

Defending Ronde champion, Ina Yoko Teutenberg (Team HTC-Columbia) finished in 21st, while Brooke Miller (Team TIBCO) would be the highest placed American in 13th place.

Other Notables - Women
4. Emma Johansson (Swe) Redsun Cycling Team
7. Noemi Cantele (Ita) HTC Columbia Women
8. Judith Arndt (Ger) HTC Columbia Women
13. Brooke Miller (USA) TIBCO
21. Ina Teutenberg (Ger) HTC Columbia Women
22. Rasa Leleivyte (Ltu) Safi - Pasta Zara
23. Giorgia Bronzini (Ita) Gauss RDZ Ormu
28. Nicole Cooke (GBr) Great Britain
32. Tiffany Cromwell (Aus) Australia
34. Sarah Düster (Ger) Cervelo TestTeam
38. Trixi Worrack (Ger) Noris Cycling
41. Ruth Corset (Aus) TIBCO
44. Andrea Dvorak (USA) United States Of America
46. Amber Neben (USA) United States Of America
51. Joanne Kiesanowski (NZl) TIBCO
56. Alexis Rhodes (Aus) Australia
76. Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) Lotto Ladies Team
84. Janel Holcomb (USA) United States of America
94. Sinead Miller (USA) United States of America
107. Daniela Pintarelli (Aut) Kuota Speed Kueens

Photo: Reuters

With the Arab emirate of Qatar jutting out into the Persian Gulf like a small appendage of Saudi Arabia, the probability of winds effecting riders and therefore the outcome of the race is relatively high. Throw in a tornado, and well…the outcome becomes all but a certainty.

For the 17th time in his career, "Tornado" Tom Boonen (Quick Step) would touch down on the roads of Qatar, leaving a 142km trail of debris from Lusail to Madinat Al Shamal on today’s Stage 5. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) were the most immediate bystanders of the destruction, finishing second and third, respectively.

Although Wouter Mol’s (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) lead in the General Classification is relatively insurmountable at his juncture of the race, Boonen’s utter dominance of the Tour of Qatar cannot be overstated.

Since he began using the Tour of Qatar as his season’s opener, he has won approximately 45% (17 of 38) of the stages he has entered. Add the two Team Time Trial victories in which he participated, then he has won exactly half of all the stages since 2004.

In nature, tornadoes are difficult to forecast accurately — even when certain weather conditions present themselves — in cycling, especially in Qatar, its as simple as looking for a certain Belgian at the start line.

Stage 5 Results
1. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
2. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha)
3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky)

General Classification After Stage 5
1. Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team)
2. Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator)
3. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
4. Roger Kluge (Team Milram)
5. Marcus Burghardt ( BMC Racing Team)
6. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha)
7. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma - Lotto)
8. Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam)
9. Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas-Doimo)
10. Stuart O’Grady (Team Saxo Bank)

Next: Stage 6 - Al Wakra to Doha Corniche (123.5 km)

Photo: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images

Nothing in cycling, as in life, is certain. But a few things, like Mark Cavendish delivering in a sprint, Fabian Cancellara dominating in a time trial, and Lance Armstrong contending in the Tour de France, come close.

Tom Boonen (Quick Step) serving it up in Qatar can easily be added to that list.

Coming into today's 136.5km Stage 3 from Dukhan to Mesaieed, Boonen had won an amazing 15 stages - excluding a pair of team time trial victories - and three Tour of Qatar titles (2006, 2008, & 2009). The 29-year-old Tornado, flying the Belgian colors and a pair of red Sidi shoes, would add to that total today in seemingly easy fashion, besting Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test Team) and Team Saxo Bank's Baden Cooke.

Despite Boonen's overwhelming victory, Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team) retained the lead in the General Classification. Two more riders, Kirk Carlsen (Team Garmin-Transitions) and Gerald Ciolek (Team Milram) would suffer race ending injuries in the form of a broken scaphoid and a broken collarbone, respectively.

Stage 3 Results
1. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
2. Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam)
3. Baden Cooke (Team Saxo Bank)

General Classification After Stage 3
1. Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team)
2. Geert Steurs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator)
3. Tom Boonen (Quick Step)
4. Roger Kluge (Team Milram)
5. Marcus Burghardt (BMC Racing Team)
6. Danilo Napolitano (Team Katusha)
7. Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma - Lotto)
8. Stuart O'Grady (Team Saxo Bank)
9. Tyler Farrar (Team Garmin-Transitions)
10. Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam)

Next: Stage 4 - The Pearl to Al Khor Corniche (146.5 km)

Photo: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images

The men roll into Qatar, Team Vera Bradley Foundation muscles up for another fundraiser, and some local flavors...

It has been a little over a year since I last wrote this Friday column, but given the time of season, it only seemed appropriate to resurrect it.

2010 Tour of Qatar

The 9th edition of the Tour of Qatar begins this Sunday, February 7th. The six-stage race will once again kick off with a Team Time Trial, which will cover 8.2km around Doha's West Bay Lagoon. Tom Boonen (Quick Step), a three-time winner of race, will return to the Gulf emirate to defend his title along with 127 other riders, 120 of whom will be looking to knock him off his golden-fleeced perch.

Schedule
Sunday, February 7 - Stage 1 - West Bay Lagoon to West Bay Lagoon – Team TT (8.2 km)
Monday, February 8 – Stage 2 - Camel Race Track to Qatar Foundation (147 km)
Tuesday, February 9 – Stage 3 - Dukhan to Mesaieed (136.5 km)
Wednesday, February 10 – Stage 4 - The Pearl to Al Khor Corniche (146.5 km)
Thursday, February 11 – Stage 5 - Lusail to Madinat Al Shamal (142 km)
Friday, February 12 – Stage 6 - Al Wakra to Doha Corniche (123.5 km)

Map

Download (PDF, 752.94KB)

Start List

Versus will not be televising the race live, but instead will show a 1-hour recap of the entire race on Sunday, February 21st from 3-4PM EST. For coverage, go to CyclingFans.com or Steephill.tv for live video.

Team Vera Bradley Foundation Fundraiser

After a successful initial Breast Cancer fundraiser in St. Louis last month, the women of Team Vera Bradley Foundation are once again flexing their muscles to raise monies to fight a disease which effects approximately 13% (one in eight) of women in the United States.

On Friday, February 12th, team members Erica Allar, Robin Farina and Alison Powers will be on hand at Uptown Cycles in Charlotte, North Carolina to host the event. Participants will have the opportunity to test their legs during one of the four Computrainer sessions in support of Team Vera Bradley Foundation's fund-raising efforts on behalf of their title sponsor the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. All proceeds of the event will go directly to the Foundation.

Classes are open to all genders, ages and abilities. Prizes will be awarded to the fastest male and female finisher as well as the top finishers in masters, juniors, Cat 5, Cat 4 and Cat 3.

Classes begin every 75 minutes (4:00PM, 5:30PM, 6:45PM, & 8:00PM). Eight spots are available in each time slot. To reserve your spot, call Uptown Cycles at (704) 632-7440. Bring your bike, shoes, water bottle and sweat towel.

Cost: $25

Local Flavors

While a snow storm is blanketing the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States this weekend, the road season is set to kick off in other parts of the country. Below are but a few of the races, for this weekend and the next, in select areas of the country. If you have never seen a race, consider taking in your first. If you have never participated, but are considering making the leap, make 2010 the year to do so.

02/06/2010
Boulevard Road Race
Boulevard, CA
Flapjack Flats Time Trial
Pinal County, AZ

02/07/2010
7th Annual Red Trolley Classic
San Diego, CA
McDowell Mt. Circuit Race
Fountain Hills, AZ
Cherry Pie Criterium
Napa, CA

02/12/2010
Valley of the Sun Stage Race
Phoenix, AZ

02/13/2010
Cantua Creek Road Race
Coalinga, CA

02/14/2010
Pine Flat Road Race
Piedra, CA

02/15/2010
Dinuba Criterium
Dinuba, CA

As much as we would like to hold our cycling heroes to a different moral standard, they are still human.

When those riders attain the brass ring after a hard fought race, we aspire to their greatness because we acknowledge that our reach, though it may be lesser, may someday be as long. In their failures, we can empathize because they remind us of our own imperfections and struggles throughout life.

The news of Tom Boonen (Quick Step - Innergetic) testing positive for cocaine use is only surprising if you equated his person to the greatness of his cycling feats.

Is it fair to label him a failure because of his recreational drug use? Perhaps, but few of us have intimate knowledge of his life outside of cycling and whether he lives it as fast as his sprint.

Is it fair to give him a pass because of his achievements and his stature in the annals of cycling? Perhaps, but keep in mind that he has actually lost more of the races that he has entered than he has won.

Life, as in cycling, is about decisions and dealing with the consequences of those decisions. Start the sprint too early and you may be overtaken at the line. Start it too late and you may never get up to speed.

Boonen is human, faster than most on the bike and now apparently in life, but lets not elevate him to anything more than a man who rides a bike for his livelihood.

Charles Pelkey (Velonews) - Boonen test positive for cocaine
AFP (Bike Radar) - Tom Boonen tests positive for cocaine

Photo: Leonard Basobas (2008 Amgen Tour of California - Stage 2)

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Tornado Tom Boonen's victory at Paris-Roubaix before the week ended. We wouldn't be much of a cycling site if we didn't.

Perhaps our lack of mentioning his win this past Sunday is a product of his seeming dominance in the northern Spring Classics. His favorite status has many of us in the cycling world expecting him to win. But the fact is, this was only Boonen's second victory at the Hell of the North. [I say "only" not to diminish what an accomplishment it is to win even one P-R, but because it really does seem as if he practically owns the cobbled races].

Nonetheless, it is quite an accomplishment for the 27-year-old, which is made even more impressive given the media scrutiny he constantly faces.

"Sometimes I simply don't get it why particular journalists keep on trying to focus on the bad things and leave the good things aside. I was a very young rider when I sort of appeared from nowhere and everyone in the press was happy about my efforts and results. However, when things go not according to plan, they try and write you down."

The price of stardom, I guess?

For fans of the Spring Classics, it looks as if we may be in the midst of the type of Classics "golden age" when men like [Eddy] Merckx, [Francesco] Moser, and [Roger] De Vlaeminck battled on the cobbles. Sunday's podium resemblance to that of 2006, with Boonen (age 27), Fabian Cancellara (age 27), and Alessandro Ballan (age 28) on it, looks to be the harbinger of titanic tooth-and-nail clashes for years to come.

Photo: Leonard Basobas

Alright, so the written version doesn't even come close to Detroit Pistons PA announcer, John Mason's, unique style. No disrespect to Phil and Paul, but it would have been great to hear Mason call the sprint today.

The Tornado, Tom Boonen (Quick-Step - Innergetic), finally got it right today, following the mix up...er, gift...er, plan during Stage 2's lead out by teammate Gert Steegmans. The victory, placed Boonen back in the Maillot Vert, which was being temporarily looked after by Erik Zabel (Milram), more on Zabel later.

I couldn't tell if it was the stress from not having won a stage yet, the tiredness from such a long sprint, the knowledge that he'll be cruising the autobus during the mountain stages, or the fact that he'd won so many races before, but Boonen certainly looked more relieved than elated as he crossed the line today (Photo: CorVos/Pezcyclingnews). If I didn't know any better, I'd say that his look bordered on being disinterested, bored, or even indifferent. Perhaps I'm reaching for something that isn't there, as Boonen was all smiles on the podium. But having seen that signature two handed salute in full elation before, you'd swear that he was a superhero preparing to take flight. Today, um...not so much.

Green With Hypocrisy?
This from Velonews' Ben Delaney:

"Germany's veteran sprinter Erik Zabel (Milram) had not one but two Tour de France green jerseys taken from him Friday before stage 6 even finished.

He lost the first - his overall best sprinter title from 1996 - when Tour de France authorities announced they were revoking it because of Zabel's admission this May to use of the banned blood-booster EPO that year. He lost the second - the current green jersey of the 2007 Tour de France sprint competition - on the road today after Tom Boonen (Quick Step-Innergetic) scored points at two intermediate sprints and the final to overtake him in the competition."

I'm all for justice and righting a wrong, but I can't help but feel like Lance Armstrong did before the start of the Tour when he called out Tour Director, Christian Prudhomme.

"Seven-time Tour de France winner criticized Tour Director Christian Prudhomme for his actions regarding Bjarne Riis. The Texan referred to the Frenchman as a "hypocrite" for wanting to take away Riis 1996 Tour jersey following the Dane's confession to doping during the same year.

"The hypocrisy of certain directors irritates me," Armstrong said, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "After the confession of Riis, Prudhomme asked for the return of the yellow jersey. Why did he never ask Virenque for his polka-dot jerseys? To Thévenet for his two yellow jerseys? The family of Anquetil for his five yellow jerseys?""

Many may say that Armstrong's sentiments are nothing more than "the pot calling the kettle black," but he's absolutely right in his statements. If you're only going to punish the few, why do it at all? Didn't 5-time Tour champion, Jacques Anquetil, freely admit that he took amphetamines, all the while arguing that it was part of the cycling culture at that time.

Isn't that what's going on now?

I'd think Raymond Poulidor, a man who was certainly more loved by the French than Anquetil, and who will be forever known as the "Eternal Second," would certainly appreciate just one of those 5 jerseys, let alone the three he lost to him.

Mr. Prudhomme, you have some more jerseys to collect [and more history to re-write], or do the rules only pertain to non-French riders.
]]> http://triplecrankset.com/2007/07/bu-bu-bu-booonnnen/feed/ 0 http://triplecrankset.com/2007/05/boonen-is-toe-to-toe/ http://triplecrankset.com/2007/05/boonen-is-toe-to-toe/#comments Thu, 17 May 2007 16:45:00 +0000 Steve http://66.147.242.184/~triplec8/?p=594

There's probably a good joke, or at least a smile, here, but I'm lost for it at the moment...

Belgium's Tom Boonen is out of the Tour of Catalonia later this month after breaking his toe whilst trying to avoid a car near his home in Mol.
However, the former world champion is expected to recover in time for the Tour De France which starts on July 7th in London, according to a statement on the Quick-Step team's website.

"In order to avoid the car he had to mount the sidewalk and ended up hitting his right foot against a signpost," the statement read. "But at the moment his participation at the Tour de France isn't in jeopardy."

The photo below has been circling the internet like a viral video. I've got no reason to doubt its authenticity, as the reality of the matter really does outweigh any reason for wanting to manufacture it.

So say you're taking part in a one day Classic and while traversing over 224km you suddenly have an urge, or rather the urge. What do you do?

As one caption stated, "rockin the dookie drawers," oh no you didn't? Another reason to have black bibs.

Tornado squishing around the Roubaix velodrome