Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Carlos Sastre starts in Amstel Gold Race as Ardennes Classics open

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: News 2010

Published on Tuesday, 13 April 2010 17:19

Written by Marcella Crisanti

With the cobbled classics over, we now head straight into the Ardennes classics and the Amstel Gold Race among other important races this week.

Men’s Team

The men’s team starts a five-day stage race on Wednesday, April 14, with the 25th edition of Vuelta a Castilla y León in northern Spain. Cervélo TestTeam will be on hand with a well-balanced team of both young and experienced riders.

Cervélo TestTeam will also be competing on Wednesday, April 14, at la Flèche Brabançonne. Also known as the Brabantse Pijl, this traditional one-day Belgian race is celebrating its 50th edition. The race starts in Leuven, goes through the Flemish Brabant region and finishes in Overijse after 200.5 km.

The highlight of the week will definitely be on Sunday, April 18, with the well-known Amstel Gold Race, the kickoff event for the Ardennes classics. This year’s 45th edition of the Amstel Gold Race will take place over 257.3 km and includes the famous Cauberg in Valkenburg (NED), which is also the finish climb.

“The traditional Amstel Gold Race is Holland’s most important event,” said Sports Director Jean Paul van Poppel. “The Limburg region, where the race takes place, serves up an endless menu of steep, narrow climbs. One of the 31 climbs, the Keutenberg, features ramps as steep as 20 percent. With Carlos Sastre (ESP) we have a big name at the start. Also on the roster are Xavier Florencio (ESP) and Xavier Tondo (ESP), who both has proven to be in good shape this season.”

Women’s Team

Cervélo TestTeam women will compete in only one event this week as they prepare for the next World Cup race on April 21, the Flèche Wallonne. On Saturday, April 17, the team participates in the 45th edition of the Ronde van Gelderland. Kirsten Wild (NED) will lead the team in this race that takes place in Apeldoorn.

“Though our main focus is the Flèche Wallonne, when we are at the start line we always give our best,” said Sports Director Egon van Kessel. “We are very happy that last year's Giro d’Italia and Tour de L’Aude winner Claudia Häusler (Ger), Carla Ryan (AUS) and Lizzie Armitstead (GBR) are all back racing.”

14-04 – 18-04 Vuelta a Castilla y Leon (ESP) 2.1

Riders  Theo Bos (NED)

João Correia (POR)

Inigo Cuesta (ESP)

Stefan Denifl (AUT)

Ted King (USA)

Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU)

Joaquin Novoa (ESP)

Oscar Pujol (ESP) 

Sports Director Alex Sans Vega (ESP)

Stages   

14.04.10 Stage 1 Belorados (Burgos) – Burgos 157.7 km

15.04.10 Stage 2 Burgos – Carrión de los Condes (Palencia) 209.9 km

16.04.10 Stage 3 León – Ponferrada- Alto del Morredero 158.8 km

17.04.10 Stage 4 Ponferrada – Ponferrada (TT) 15.1 km (TT)

18.04.10 Stage 5 Samos – Santiago de Compostela 171.6 km

14-04 La Flèche Brabançonne (BEL) 1.1

Riders  Davide Appollonio (ITA

Philipp Deignan (IRL)

Xavier Florencio (ESP)

Martin Reimer (GER)

Dominique Rollin (CAN)

Marcel Wyss (SUI) 

Sports Director Jens Zemke (GER)

Length 200.5 km

Start 12:30h

Finish ±17:30h

17-04 Ronde van Gelderland (NED) 1.2

Riders  Lizzie Armitstead (GBR)

Regina Bruins (NED)

Lieselot Decroix (BEL)

Claudia Häusler (GER)

Iris Slappendel (NED)

Kirsten Wild (NED) 

Sports Director Egon van Kessel (NED)

Length 140 km

Start 13:30h

Finish ±17:30h

18-04 Amstel Gold Race (NED) UPT

Riders  Davide Appollonio (ITA)

Philip Deignan (IRL)

Xavier Florencio (ESP)

Volodymir Gustov (UKR)

Ted King (USA)

Daniel Lloyd (GBR)

Xavier Tondo (ESP)

Carlos Sastre (ESP) 

Sports Director Jean-Paul van Poppel (NED)

Philippe Mauduit (FRA)

Length 257.3 km

Start 10:21h

Finish ±16:45h