Mendrisio, Ticino, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Olympic and world champion Fabian Cancellara took gold in stunning fashion in the time trial of the world cycling championships in Ticino. He dominated the field to win the 49.8 km race by almost one and a half minutes. The Bern-based rider also won the race in the 2006 and 2007 championships, as well as taking Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008. He took bronze in the Olympic road race and is hoping to do even better in the 262.2 km race on Sunday.
Details: Swissinfo
[golf stars video] Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Women boxers will be able to compete in the 2012 Olympics in London and their participation in several other sports, including wrestling, cycling and swimming, as well as tennis doubles, is likely to increase following a decision by the IOC executive board on new sports for the Games. Boxing was the only Olympic sport without women competitors in the last Olympic games in Beijing in August 2008. There will be three weight categories, while the men will lose one of their 11 classes. The decision has been welcomed as a step forward for gender equality but also criticized by Headway, the brain injury association because of potential dangers.
Seven-a-side rugby and golf have been recommended for entry to the 2016 Games in South Africa and will now need the approval of the full IOC, which meets in Copenhagen in October. Golf and rugby federations are being invited to present their sports.
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) – Mark Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, won his sixth sprint finish in the 2009 Tour de France. It was the most prestigious but in some ways also the easiest as his Columbia teammates, especially Australian Mark Renshaw, gave him a big lead into the final 100 metres.
The final day was a traditional affair, at a leisurely pace for much of the stage before a break by seven riders in search of glory.
Mont Ventoux, France (GenevaLunch) – Alberto Cantador is now almost certain to win the 2009 Tour de France: he need only stay with the pack for the lagely ceremonial ride into Paris. The penultimate stage includes a steep 20-kilometre climb to the finish at the summit of Mont Ventoux, where British cyclist Tom Simpson died of exhaustion in the 1967 Tour.
Annecy, France (GenevaLunch) - Alberto Cantador, who was already in the Yellow Jersey, underlined his dominance by winning the individual time trial around Lake Annecy, not far from Geneva. His Astana teammate Lance Armstrong could only manage 16th position, losing one minute 30 seconds. Cantador now heads the Tour by four minutes 11 seconds from Andy Schleck followed by Armstrong with Bradley Wiggins another 11 seconds back in fourth.
Le Grand Bornand, France (GenevaLunch) – Younger men are getting ahead of 37-year-old Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, who slipped into fourth place overall Wednesday 22 July as riders took on the challenge of five mountain passes. The two Schleck brothers from Luxembourg, Andy and Frank, who ride for the Saxo bank team are now behind leader Alberto Contador in the overall rankings. Armstrong could not maintain the pace but came back strongly later as he stormed up the final mountain.
Bradley Wiggins, British three time Olympic champion, started the day in third place but slipped back to sixth, although this was not clear to television spectators who were forced to watch an interview with President Sarkozy on the Tour while the riders came in.
Armstrong’s fight to win can be viewed another way, reports Minnpost:
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Bicyclists in Lausanne and beyond have collected 100,000 signatures since February in a petition to create more bike lanes on city streets in French-speaking Switzerland.
ProVelo’s Lausanne chapter, the organizer of the petition, notes that the situation in the German-speaking part of Switzerland is much better for cyclists. The organizers are appealing (Fre, pdf) not only for more bike lanes but also for better safety measures for cyclists. In 2007, they note, 3,300 cyclists were injured in Switzerland.
Besancon, France (GenevaLunch) - The 14th stage of the Tour de France was overshadowed by the death of a 61-year-old woman who was struck by a police motorcyclist as she crossed the road during the passage of the race. It is the first death of a race spectator since 2000. The accident took place near Wittelsheim. Two other spectators, injured when the bike slid into them, were taken by helicopter to a hospital in Mulhouse.
Central France (GenevaLunch) – German rider Heinrich Haussler broke from the pack in only the third kilometre of Friday’s stage in the Tour de France, and he gradually left the other members of the breakaway group to take the stage by more than five minutes, with the pack another two minutes back.
Central France (GenevaLunch) – Isle of Man sprinter Mark Cavendish took his fourth stage win for the Columbia team and regained the sprinters’ Green Jersey. The overall lead was unchanged with Italian Rinaldo Nocentini reaining the Yellow Jersey, six seconds ahead of Astana leader Alberto Contador with teammate and rival Lance Armstrong two seconds further back. The Yellow Jersey is likely to change owner in the next few days.
Details, Le Tour de France
Central France (GenevaLunch) – Mark Cavendish won his third sprint of the 2009 Tour, ably assisted by his Columbia teammates. A group of four riders, including three French, led a break-away group but they were overhauled in the last few kilometres, setting the stage for the final sprint. When it comes to sprinting there is not much doubt about who is fastest, at least according to Cavendish:
Southern France (GenevaLunch) – The end of the first week leaves the tour very open, with two main dramas being played, one between the Astana team and the other teams and a more personal conflict between seven-time winner Lance Armstrongand his teammate, the theoretical leader of the Astana team Alberto Contador.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss Olympic Champion Fabian Cancellara won the Tour de Suisse, coming in first in the final day time trial in Bern. Cancellara won gold in the time trial and bronze in the road race in the Beijing Olympics. He is not considered likely to win the Tour de France, which starts 4 July but could well take the yellow jersey in the first stage time trial in Monte Carlo. Details, swissinfo
Davos, Graubuenden, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Swiss Olympic gold medallist Fabian Cancellara won on Saturday and finished a few seconds behind Austrian Bernard Eisel on Sunday to retain a 22-second lead after two days of the Tour de Suisse, which started in eastern Switzerland and moves west during the week. Details, Swissinfo
Title: Tour de Romandie
Location: Geneva, Vaud, Valais
Link out: Click here
Description: A stage of the UCI Pro Tour cycling competition, departing from Lausanne and going around French-speaking Switzerland.
Start Date: 28 Apr 2009
End Date: 03 May 2009
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The popular Tour de Romandie bike race route for 2009 was announced Wednesday. The race, from 28 April to 3 May, will start in Lausanne, move to Montreux, Fribourg, Yverdon and end up in Geneva after passing through the Jura.
Paris, France (GenevaLunch) – The Tour de France is touring beyond French borders. The race will begin in Monte Carlo, Monaco and head to Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy before its traditional finish in Paris. Among the Swiss cities to receive the peloton are Verbier and Martigny. If you miss the pass of what is considered the best cycling race in the world, do not worry, Annecy in neighbouring France will also host a counter-clock race.
Austria (20 Minutes, Fre) – Bernhard Kohl, who placed third in the Tour de France and was the best climber, has admitted to doping after he took a hard fall in the Dauphiné.
Lance Armstrong announced Tuesday that he is coming out of retirement to ride in the 2009 Tour de France as a professional cyclist, in order to draw attention to cancer, which will take 8 million lives this year. Armstrong, age 37, recovered from cancer and went on to win the Tour a record seven times before he retired in 2005. BBC (Ed. note: thanks to an alert reader, Nancy, who was a little surprised that the man on the moon is taking to a bike! Editor’s apologies to those who saw Neil instead of Lance here.)
Title: Samedi du velo
Location: Geneva
Description: Free bicycle guided tours for families first Saturday of each month
Date: 2008-10-04
