16 February Tour of California Prelude
It's one of our big aims for the season, the Tour of California, right in our back yard. Mike and the board of directors have made it very clear that they are expecting results here, and I think that's wrong, it's made the riders nervous. There are some big riders here Frank Schleck, Fabian Cancellara, Stefan Schumacher - it's going to be tough.
I've got set up at my apartment, the cat's all settled in, and my first pay checks were bumped up with a little bonus for our Tour Down Under results. I also had my first proper press contact, our team got a bit trashed, I've attached it below.
Source: Cycling24.com Health Net Aiming Big in California Oakland, California
Health Net Pro Cycling Team today unveiled there team for the Tour of California, which has a wide variety of aims for the race.
"This race is a huge deal for us, and we want to do as well as possible," said assistant DS Robert Lewes. "Of course, Rory Sutherland will be spearing our GC efforts, he'll be going for a top 20 result, this is a tough field with some very strong world class riders."
And what about having 4 sprinters?
"Well, we want to make sure we're up their in the sprints, and can cover multiple possibilities depending on the circumstances as the sprint winds up. John Murphy will be our main sprinter, but all of our sprinters could become the best for our team on any stage."
Lewes was only employed in January of this year after working as a cycling journalist, and has already picked his rider to look out for.
"Karl Menzies could surprise here. He has that fighting spirit, and we're giving him a long leash to get in breaks, go for sprints, try what he wants to be up front at that line."
But in the face of such tough opposition, it is highly likely that Health Net will not live up to their hopes and dreams, and with the main Director Sportif Mike Tamayo reputed to be even more ambitious than Robert Lewes has said here, most experts are expecting bug disappointment for the team.
Health Net Squad for Tour of California:
Rory Sutherland - Team Leader
John Murphy - Sprinter
Kirk O'Bee - Sprinter
Kyle Gritters - Sprinter
Karl Menzies - Free Rider
Phil Zajicek - Domestique
Frank Pipp - Domestique/Sprinter
Corey Collier - Domestique
Crommy wrote: Tour de Langkawi - Stage 9 February 17 - Kuala Lumpur Criterium
The final stage of the Tour, and I'm having a great time. During those boring flat stages before yesterday, I used my laptop to get me a small apartment in Oakland, California, near our Team HQ.
God, Oakland, watch out for the muggers. I'd move to the other side of the bay, to San Franc. But most importantly, isn't it interesting that the bay area is the home of Barry Bonds and BALCO *cough, cough*
I feel I have to explain to the Europeans, Barry Bonds holds the Major League Baseball Home Run Record, but is pretty much obviously a doper, and is currently being indicted by the U.S. Justice Department for perjury, for lying to a grand jury about taking steroids. He played for the San Francisco Giants, and San Francisco is right across a bay from Oakland, to the point that they are considered one large metropolis. BALCO is a lab, headed by a man named Victor Conte (who was the Bass player for Tower of Power, a funk band, back in the 70's) that was raided by the FBI for being a major illegal steroids distributor (you've heard of Marion Jones, she got her steroids from there). So there you go, an interesting area for a team and its assistant D.A.
Tour of California - Stage 1 17 February - Palo Alto-Stanford University ITT
Given how important this race is, I know I'm going to be shunted off to one side, since I'm new. But, given this was a time trial, I was needed. I would be looking after 3 riders for the day, John Murphy, Kirk O'Bee and Phil Zajicek.
Corey Collier set off first for us, and moved into second place with 4'09. Good start, that was a good time.
Team Leader Rory Sutherland was up next, even better, he moved into second spot with 4'02.
Then it was my turn, time to take John Murphy for a spin. I'd gone through every inch of the road with my 3 riders, and given them a thorough battle plan, where to gain those precious seconds.
And it worked for John, he somehow took the lead with 3'57.
John Murphy takes the lead
Our next riders was Frank Pipp, and hew went 1 second slower than John. It was looking good, but with Cancellara and other riders to come, we were certain this wouldn't last.
Karl Menzies then grabbed the same time as Pipp. We were starting to feel like something a bit special was happening. We were placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd, but Cancellara was to start after our next rider...
...Who was Kyle Gritters who finished 3 seconds slower than John, moving into 5th.
All eyes were on the TV as Cancellara started, this was the man to beat.
I almost thought the clock had to be wrong as he crossed the line, we were still in the lead.
We were beginning to realise something pretty special was happening.
No time to ponder that, Phil Zajicek up next. He was on a different level, as he went through 1 second slower than the lead.
And then it was Kirk O'Bee, the last rider to set off, and he set the same time as John Murphy.
Kirk O'Bee completes the perfect stage
You can imagine the celebration we had afterwards, it was insane. We had the top 6 riders in a world class field!!!
The press was absolutely over us, and the other teams were standing around, looking shocked, as though saying, "Did that just happen?"
Well it did, and my sweet Jesus was it damn good.
Stage Results:
1 John Murphy Health net presented by Maxxis 3'57
2 Kirk O'Bee Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
3 Phil Zajicek Health net presented by Maxxis + 1
4 Frank Pipp Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
5 Karl Menzies Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
6 Manuel Quinziato Liquigas + 3
7 Kyle Gritters Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
8 Rory Sutherland Health net presented by Maxxis + 5
9 Brent Bookwalter BMC Racing Team + 7
10 Taylor Tolleson BMC Racing Team + 8
11 Adam Switters Rock Racing + 11
12 Danilo Wyss BMC Racing Team s.t.
13 Corey Collier Health net presented by Maxxis + 12
I knew I'd be taking a back seat in this Tour, but after our triumph on the first stage, our strategy has been focused solely on defending our lead. Which means I have actually done nothing. I'm not particularly happy at the moment, here's a round-up of the action
Stage 2 - Mike missed a move today, he didn't get the team chasing early enough, as Edvald Boasson Hagen gained 32 seconds on the pack, enough for the yellow jersey lead Stage 3 - Sprinters stage, Mike didn't even let our guys sprint, it was "too risky". Thor Hushovd won the stage Stage 4 - A bit hiller today, it was all about keeping Rory in the bunch, and he was our only rider in there by the end, as Patrice Halgand won. Rory has won the leader's jersey back though, which is good I suppose, the sponsors are happy. Stage 5 - Awful stage today, I don't know what Mike had Rory doing attacking so early, he's not that good. Jimmy Engoulvent won as the bunch fractured into small groups over the hills, and all Rory could manage after wasting his energy was 23rd, 2'16 down, falling to 10th overall with a 1'05 deficit over new leader Patrice Halgand.
Rory Sutherland sprints in on stage 4 to gain the leader's jersey...for a very brief while
It's been annoying see us lose the leader's jersey twice, all the more so because it has been preventable. Tomorrow is the individual time trial, I'm back in the mix, and I sure ain't going to waste my chances
Tour of California - Stage 6 22 February - Solvang ITT
27km of time trialing today. The team's aim is for Rory to try to hold on for a top 10 result. Which is whilst Mike focuses solely on him, I've got 7 other riders to manage.
Kirk O'Bee was our first rider off, and he came in with 22'19, which was 10 seconds quicker than Frank Pipp, our next rider out. Kyle Gritters and John Murphy both had poor time trials, finishing a fair way down, but Corey Collier surprised all of us when he moved into 19th, way ahead of our other riders.
But Phil Zajicek was our best time trialist, so I followed him in the car. He started off strongly, and by the intermediate time check, he was only 2 seconds off of the current leader Rosseler.
Phil starts off strongly, but fades
A weaker second half saw him lose 15 more seconds, but he crossed the line in 7th. With the impressive riders to come, he had no chance of staying there, but we were happy with his performance (he ended up 27th)
With some very lucky results, and a strong performance, Rory somehow managed to stay in the top overall by 1 second! But that's over Frank Schleck, and the final stage is very hilly. Mike remains upbeat, but he's being naive, he actually expects Rory to remain in the top 10. We'll see.
Stage Results:
1 Fabian Cancellara Team CSC - Saxo Bank 34'48
2 Stijn Devolder Quick·Step + 45
3 Jens Voigt Team CSC - Saxo Bank + 56
4 Alessandro Ballan Lampre + 1'12
5 Vladimir Gusev Astana Cycling Team + 1'16
General Classification:
1 Jens Voigt Team CSC - Saxo Bank 17h56'42
2 Vladimir Gusev Astana Cycling Team + 20
3 Sandy Casar Française des Jeux + 29
4 Alessandro Ballan Lampre + 34
5 Stijn Devolder Quick·Step + 36
6 Fabian Cancellara Team CSC - Saxo Bank + 1'01
7 David Moncoutié Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone s.t.
8 Carlos Sastre Team CSC - Saxo Bank + 1'08
9 Patrice Halgand Crédit Agricole + 1'17
10 Rory Sutherland Health net presented by Maxxis + 1'39
Edited by Crommy on 29-07-2008 15:38
Tour of California 24 February - Pasadena
The Tour of California is over, and we haven't done too bad. The last stage was heartbreaking though, here's the last two stages reviewed
Stage 7: A simple bunch sprint - full team support for Rory though, so we all watched on as Daniele Bennati beat Thor Hushovd and Tom Boonen for the stage
Stage 8
This stage was a case of Mike being too nervous. Kirk O'Bee went off in a break, but as soon as they got any distance, Mike was straight on the radio to me.
"Bring Kirk back in, we need the full team back here." As much as I tried to argue Kirk would be more helpful in the break, Mike would have none of it, so it was a rather disappointed Kirk who went back into the pack.
The final 41km were 7 tough little hills. The favourites went on the second, and Rory was miles too far back. Instead of making his way through the pack slowly, Mike forced him to attack from the middle, so by the time he was at the front, he was already knackered, and he couldn't make it to the elite group up front, and was swallowed by the pack as those riders close to him simply flew past him. He'd gone too early, too hard, and that was it for him.
Rory goes too hard, too early - far too nervous
He finished in the pack, and slid way down the classification into 16th. With the whole team riding for him, everyone was dejected as we went into the team bus.
Stage:
1 Laurent Lefèvre Bouygues Télécom 3h52'14
2 Sandy Casar Française des Jeux s.t.
3 Davide Rebellin Gerolsteiner s.t.
4 Paul Martens Rabobank s.t.
5 Jens Voigt Team CSC - Saxo Bank s.t.
Final General Classification:
1 Jens Voigt Team CSC - Saxo Bank 25h28'27
2 Sandy Casar Française des Jeux + 17
3 Vladimir Gusev Astana Cycling Team + 20
4 Stijn Devolder Quick·Step + 36
5 Patrice Halgand Crédit Agricole + 1'17
16 Rory Sutherland Health net presented by Maxxis + 3'56
57 Karl Menzies Health net presented by Maxxis + 10'11
76 Phil Zajicek Health net presented by Maxxis + 15'02
102 Corey Collier Health net presented by Maxxis + 22'49
110 Kyle Gritters Health net presented by Maxxis + 25'52
128 John Murphy Health net presented by Maxxis + 33'16
137 Frank Pipp Health net presented by Maxxis + 37'04
142 Kirk O'Bee Health net presented by Maxxis + 37'39
Points Jersey: Daniele Bennati Liquigas 71 Climber's Jersey: Nicolas Hartmann Cofidis, Le Crédit par Téléphone 35
The problem with the team was that 16th in the final GC was a pretty damn fantastic result. They really shouldn't be downhearted, Rory has beaten the likes of Gilbert, Kohl, Bettini, Schumacher - these are the finest cyclists in the world (even out of form!). But the team was hyped up into the belief they should be doing better. I'm beginning to doubt Mike as the team manager.
It's been a frustrating month for me so far. I've been doing absolutely nothing, not even going to the 3 races we've been entered for. And the results have been disappointing too, really not what I think the team is capable of. Le Samyn: bunch sprint, with Kirk O'Bee in 12th behind winner Kenny Dehaes Nokere Koerse: Karl Menzies our best rider in 36th in the 3rd group as a different Kenny, Kenny De Ketele takes the victory in the front group of 2, sprinting against Uros Murn Cholet - Pays de Loire: Probably the best result of the 3, up against a tough field, Rory Sutherland ends up 16 on the hills behind race winner Ángel Vicioso
So not a great month from the team, but that's behind us, and now I'm in luck, as I get to lead the team in 3 Spanish races, beginning with the GP Llodio.
Disappointed though with the riders Mike has sent me. Phil Zajicek will be team leader, but Rory Sutherland and Karl Menzies would be more suited to the tough hills that occur towards the end of the race.
With only 6 riders in the team, I wanted to keep everyone safe in the pack in pretty miserable condition. Wet and windy, this was a day for keeping safe. In fact 7 rider fell on the descent of the early climb, the Alto de la Barrerilla.
The break of 11 riders was caught with 31km to go as the hills began, but the attacks from the favourites only began with two hills and 14km to go. With the favourites attacking, I knew they were in a class above Phil, and told him to only make his move on the last hill.
Phil attacks, but is he out of his depth?
It was a good decision. He would have blown up had he tried to go with the likes of Cobo and Vicioso, but now he was in a group he could just about hang onto. Angel Vicioso won from a group of 8, and I realised Phil had a chance of a top 10 given he was in the next group of 6. But he was by far the worst sprinter in the group, and suffering badly, so he could only grab 12th. But still a damn fine result.
Phil brings home a great result, celebrations from the whole team (once they were out of the cold of course)
Results:
1 Ángel Vicioso LA - MSS - Póvoa de Varzím 4h14'26
2 Cândido Barbosa Sport Lisboa e Benfica s.t.
3 Gerrit Glomser Team Volksbank s.t.
4 David Herrero Karpin Galicia s.t.
5 Josep Jufré Saunier Duval - Scott s.t.
6 Iñigo Landaluze Euskaltel - Euskadi s.t.
7 Marlon Pérez Caisse d'Epargne s.t.
8 Juanjo Cobo Saunier Duval - Scott s.t.
9 Xavi Tondo LA - MSS - Póvoa de Varzím + 55
10 José Alberto Benítez Saunier Duval - Scott s.t.
11 Aitor Galdos Euskaltel - Euskadi s.t.
12 Phil Zajicek Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
13 Fran Ventoso Andalucía - Cajasur s.t.
14 Constantino Zaballa LA - MSS - Póvoa de Varzím s.t.
15 Rodrigo García Extremadura - Ciclismo Soldario + 2'36
...
36 Kirk O'Bee Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
72 Tim Johnson Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
97 Roman Kilun Health net presented by Maxxis s.t.
122 Matt Cooke Health net presented by Maxxis + 4'36
123 Matt Crane Health net presented by Maxxis + 5'15
So good stuff from Phil in Spain. I've really got a good bond with him, and the experience of leading a team was awesome. Next up for me will be the GP Miguel Indurain, where the field is far tougher, so we'll just have to see how we get on.
What, a budget constraint or something?
