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Breaking the Curse
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 18-11-2012 15:48
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Big names on the move
Despite the transfer window only being open for a few days, HTC - Highroad have wasted no time bolstering their squad for the 2012 season, announcing the signing of Slovenian Stage Racer Janez Brajkovic from RadioShack and the Italian sprinter Jacopo Guarnieri from Liquigas.
Brajkovic has welcomed the move to the American team, proclaiming in recent weeks that he needed to leave RadioShack to further his cycling career, and finding opportunities very limited. He boasts an impressive Palmarés in his short cycling career, including Overall Victory in the 2010 Critérium du Dauphiné, Top 5 finishes in the Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse and the Giro di Lombardia, as well as the Under 23 World Time Trial Championships in 2004.
Guarnieri comes into the team after 3 years with Liquigas - Cannondale. Working more as a domestique than a main sprinter, he has picked up victories at the Tour de Pologne in 2009 and 2010, as well as taking victory at the Circuit Franco-Belge in 2010. He is currently riding in the Tour de France with the Liquigas team, and has expressed his delight to become part of the HTC lead out train for the next 2 seasons.
HTC hope to announce more signing in the next couple of weeks.
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 18-11-2012 16:51
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Two Great signings for the team 
Although i can't see Mark being to happy to welcome another sprinter in to the team  |
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 18-11-2012 16:56
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sutty68 wrote:
Two Great signings for the team
Although i can't see Mark being to happy to welcome another sprinter in to the team
Guarnieri will race a different schedule to Cav so there will no problems on that front.
And if you thought those signings were good... just wait until the announcement to come later tonight!! A big name comes to HTC!
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 18-11-2012 17:00
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Suspense, I like it  |
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 18-11-2012 19:59
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sutty68 wrote:
Suspense, I like it
I may even delay the announcement until tomorrow then
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 18-11-2012 20:54
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 5th July 2011 - Le Tour de France
(Lorient - Mûr-de-Bretagne)
The fourth stage of the Tour takes the peleton from Lorient to Mûr-de-Bretagne. Like in stage one, it will be a flat day for the riders, but a difficult climb to the finish will rule out the sprinters. One for the punchers today.
7km: The break went early today, and a total of 16 rider eventually got away.
14km: With the finish ruling me out of contention, the focus was all on the Intermediate Sprint. With so many off the front, I gave the instruction to pull it back, and take full control.
34km: The guys did a great job bringing back the large break, but as soon as it was all back together, another bunch of attacks happened. Points Leader Allan Davis (Astana) was again stretching his legs in the break.
73km: The group of 9 was left to dangle off the front, and on the climb to the Cat 4 Mountain Sprint, it was pulled back. Lars led the pack over the top, and on the descent, Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky), J.J. Haedo (SaxoBank) and Johan Vansummeren (Garmin) broke away.
103km: I was happy to let that group of three, and approaching the Intermediate Sprint, Bert was leading me out.
105km: Amazingly, I was able sprint unchallenged, picking up an easy 13 points for 4th over the sprint point.
116km: After the sprint point, I told the guys to back off, and let the other teams take over. Katusha looked more than happy to come to the front, along with Lampre and Leopard.
153km: The break was caught with around 25km to go, and the high pace of Katusha meant nothing could get away off the front. Coming up to the 10km banner, we decided to play our card, and Kanstantsin attacked off the front.
161km: He only got around 33" off the front before he was pulled back, and as the route went upwards for the finish, the lead outs began to form.
164km: As the sprint began, it looked like a battle to the finish between Damiano Cunego and Peter Sagan...
165km: But from nowhere, Joaquim RodrÃguez comes through to take the win. Cunego went too early, and Sagan didn't even have the legs to come around him, and the door was left wide open. I crossed the line in 43th place, 1'00" down on RodrÃguez, after a split in the peleton. Sadly again, Tejay lost time to some of his GC rivals.
| 1 | JoaquÃm RodrÃguez | Katusha Team | 3h40'57 | | 2 | Samuel Sánchez | Euskaltel - Euskadi | + 6 | | 3 | Damiano Cunego | Lampre - ISD | s.t. | | 4 | Filippo Pozzato | Katusha Team | s.t. | | 5 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | s.t. | | ... | | 43 | Mark Cavendish | HTC - Highroad | + 1'00 |
| 1 | Fabian Cancellara | Leopard Trek | 12h43'51 | | 2 | Andy Schleck | Leopard Trek | + 5 | | 3 | Matti Breschel | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 42 | | 4 | Ryder Hesjedal | Team Garmin - Cervélo | + 51 | | 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky ProCycling | + 52 | | ... | | 37 | Mark Cavendish | HTC - Highroad | + 2'30 |
| 1 | Allan Davis | Pro Team Astana | 56 | | 2 | Romain Feillu | Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team | 52 | | 3 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | 49 | | 4 | Mark Cavendish | HTC - Highroad | 45 | | 5 | Luca Paolini | Katusha Team | 45 |
| 1 | JoaquÃm RodrÃguez | Katusha Team | 2 | | 2 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | 1 | | 3 | Samuel Sánchez | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 1 | | 4 | Lars Ytting Bak | HTC - Highroad | 1 |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky ProCycling | 9h03'40 | | 2 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | + 25 | | 3 | Gerald Ciolek | Quick·Step Cycling Team | + 1'06 | | 4 | Kevin Seeldraeyers | Quick·Step Cycling Team | s.t. | | 5 | Pierre Rolland | Team Europcar | + 1'22 |
| 1 | Leopard Trek | 37h12'39 | | 2 | Katusha Team | + 1'25 | | 3 | Lampre - ISD | s.t. | | 4 | Team Garmin - Cervélo | + 2'10 | | 5 | Sky ProCycling | + 2'13 | | ... | | 8 | HTC - Highroad | + 3'06 |
HTC - Highroad Classification Overview
| + 19 |  | 29 | + 19Bert Grabsch | + 2'05 | | + 19 |  | 4 | + 19Mark Cavendish | 45pts | | + 19 |  | 4 | + 19Lars Ytting Bak | 1pt | | + 19 |  | 6 | + 19Tejay Van Garderen | + 1'52 |
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| maxime86 |
Posted on 18-11-2012 21:31
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mark is having some trouble |
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Posted on 24-11-2024 09:42
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| rogvi97 |
Posted on 18-11-2012 21:47
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Good job! Great to see Brajkovic and Guarnieri on the team! Just make sure, you'll win those stages
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 18-11-2012 22:00
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@Maxime: On the contrary... We mistimed the chase on stage 3, yes, but other stages have not suited Cav. He will come go in the next few stages
@Rogvi: Thanks. I will try to win them 
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 18-11-2012 22:34
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HTC hit the big time with Sánchez signing
Just moments after his 3rd place finish on Stage 4 of the Tour de France in Mûr-de-Bretagne, HTC - Highroad were delighted to announce the signing of the current Spanish Road Race Champion Samuel Sánchez.
The Basque stage racer, who has spent his entire professional career with the Euskatel - Euskadi team, will bring a wealth of experience to the already talented HTC team, and will make the American team a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the Grand Tours next season.
His palmaré include Overall victory in the Vuelta a Burgos, two Top 3 finish in the Vuelta a España, numerous Top 5 finishes at the Tour de France, Paris - Nice, and the Hilly Classics, and lest we not forgot, he is the reigning Olympic Road Race Champion from 2008 in Beijing.
HTC have been very quiet on any further transfer announcements, but have come out and stated that talks with Belgian Classics rider Stijn Devolder have broken down over the last couple of days, and it is now highly unlikely he will now sign for the team in 2012.
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 18-11-2012 23:26
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Sanchez will definitely be a Great addition to the team
The suspense was worth it in the end |
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 19-11-2012 08:23
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Sanchez is a nice signing!
Mark is on schedule for the green jersey, keep it up |
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 19-11-2012 11:16
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@Sutty & Ian: I am really happy with the signing of Sanchez. He was one of our main targets, along with Joaquim Rodriguez. Rodriguez has re-signed to Katusha, leaving the door wide open for Sanchez to join us. There are a few more targets, but they can wait til later in the season.
@Ian: The fight for green is going well. Just need that stage victory to keep Sutty happy he has demanded a minimum of 5 stage victories...
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 19-11-2012 22:10
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6th July 2011 - Le Tour de France
(Carhaix - Cap Fréhel)
Stage 5 looks like one for the sprinters. Flat looking profile, with only one classified climb on the route.
All focus is on the Intermediate Sprint first, and then we will look to the finish. The finish is a little more difficult than first anticipated. The road ramps up in the last 2km, and is a false flat to the finish.
22km: It was a group of 9 riders who made the first move, including HTC latest 2012 recruit Jacopo Guarnieri. He was clearly looking to impress his new employers today.
45km: Sadly however, the break did not get far before it was brought back, and a further three riders went off the front. This attack had a bit more 'umph' in it.
67km: I was happy to let this group of three go, but that was all. Lars, Bert and Danny were sent to the front to control the pace. Amazingly though, the break eased up, almost admitting defeat that we were hunting them down.
70km: With the maximum 20 points available at the Sprint Point, I was really pumped for it. Lars led me out, and I won the sprint, just ahead of Tyler Farrar (Garmin)
86km: Like with the other stages so far, that was the team's job done, and orders were given to stop the pace setting. With that, Juan Antonio Flecha (Sky) and Filippo Pozzato (Katusha) made their move, building up a good lead in the process.
137km: The break got around 4'34" over the peleton before Garmin and Lampre upped the pace, and soon the gap began to quickly decrease.
155km: The two breakaway riders were caught at the 10km to go mark, and the sprinter teams began to take full control at the front.
162km: Approaching the finish, HTC had full control until disaster struck. Lars completed his turn, and as he passed control to Bernie, Eisel suffered a mechanical. Renshaw tried to put me back in position, but he was done in. I locked onto the back of Boasson Hagen's wheel in an attempt to get a good position...
165km: Sadly it was not enough! Boonen takes the victory, just ahead of Petacchi and Romain Feillu. I finished 6th.
| 1 | Tom Boonen | Quick·Step Cycling Team | 3h42'52 | | 2 | Alessandro Petacchi | Lampre - ISD | s.t. | | 3 | Romain Feillu | Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team | s.t. | | 4 | Óscar Freire | Rabobank Cycling Team | s.t. | | 5 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | s.t. | | ... | | 6 | Mark Cavendish | HTC - Highroad | s.t. |
| 1 | Fabian Cancellara | Leopard Trek | 16h26'43 | | 2 | Andy Schleck | Leopard Trek | + 5 | | 3 | Matti Breschel | Rabobank Cycling Team | + 42 | | 4 | Ryder Hesjedal | Team Garmin - Cervélo | + 51 | | 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky ProCycling | + 52 | | ... | | 37 | Mark Cavendish | HTC - Highroad | + 2'30 |
| 1 | Romain Feillu | Vacansoleil - DCM Pro Cycling Team | 89 | | 2 | Mark Cavendish | HTC - Highroad | 85 | | 3 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | 83 | | 4 | Tom Boonen | Quick·Step Cycling Team | 81 | | 5 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky ProCycling | 74 |
| 1 | JoaquÃm RodrÃguez | Katusha Team | 2 | | 2 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | 1 | | 3 | Samuel Sánchez | Euskaltel - Euskadi | 1 | | 4 | Lars Ytting Bak | HTC - Highroad | 1 | | 5 | Yukiya Arashiro | Team Europcar | 1 |
| 1 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Sky ProCycling | 16h27'35 | | 2 | Peter Sagan | Liquigas - Cannondale | + 25 | | 3 | Gerald Ciolek | Quick·Step Cycling Team | + 1'06 | | 4 | Kevin Seeldraeyers | Quick·Step Cycling Team | s.t. | | 5 | Pierre Rolland | Team Europcar | + 1'22 |
| 1 | Leopard Trek | 48h21'15 | | 2 | Katusha Team | + 1'25 | | 3 | Lampre - ISD | s.t. | | 4 | Team Garmin - Cervélo | + 2'10 | | 5 | Sky ProCycling | + 2'13 | | ... | | 8 | HTC - Highroad | + 3'06 |
HTC - Highroad Classification Overview
| + 19 | | 29 | + 19Bert Grabsch | + 2'05 | | + 19 | | 2 | + 19Mark Cavendish | 85pts | | + 19 | | 4 | + 19Lars Ytting Bak | 1pt | | + 19 | | 6 | + 19Tejay Van Garderen | + 1'52 |
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| rogvi97 |
Posted on 20-11-2012 19:29
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Not far away now! Just relax and trust your abilities! But good luck with next stages
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| Ian Butler |
Posted on 20-11-2012 20:53
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Stage wins we demand, stage wins!!
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 20-11-2012 21:35
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@rogvi: Yes my master! The force is strong with this one!
@Ian: and stage wins you will get!! 
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| Alakagom |
Posted on 20-11-2012 21:37
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The competition for the points jersey looks very fierce. Me likey some challenge against Cav
Looking forward to the next stages.
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| the_hoyle |
Posted on 20-11-2012 21:39
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Alakagom wrote:
The competition for the points jersey looks very fierce. Me likey some challenge against Cav
Looking forward to the next stages.
Thanks alakagom! glad you liking the story
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| sutty68 |
Posted on 20-11-2012 22:54
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A sixth place finish and the intermediate sprint makes the Points Competition look a lot better tonight for Mark |
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