2009 is already here, but before I start talking about the year ahead, i did want to recap a couple of stories from 2008...
First off, doping news. Frank Schleck is officially free and clear. He has been cleared by the Luxembourg Anti-Doping Agency of any doping related charges, despite a paper trail where it is alleged that Schleck paid Dr Fuentes (of Operation Puerto infamy) about $10,000. The anti-doping agency has found no other links between Schleck and Fuentes in their investigation, and thus have dismissed all the charges.
So that was great news for Team CSC and fans of Schleck. Unfortunately, one of their major sponsors for 2009 has gone bankrupt. You may recall that CSC was going to pull out of cycling after the 2008 season. Co-sponsor Saxo Bank was to take over, and their role as secondary sponsor was to be filled by IT Factory, another technology company. Unfortunately for them, only two months after joining on, the company has gone bankrupt and their CEO has gone "missing" on a trip to Dubai. So now the team that was CSC became CSC-Saxo Bank in mid 2008, then was to be Saxo Bank-IT Factory in 2009 but is now Saxo Bank - TBA.
Canada's best professional cyclist, Ryder Hesjedal, is getting ready for 2009 too. His blog announced that he is planning to ride against Lance in Australia later in January, plus trips to Italy for the Giro and the Tour in July! So hopefully he can stay healthy and have a great year in 2009. He also posted a great video of his training in Hawaii just before Christmas. It makes me want to do a training camp in Hawaii!
Ryder Hesjedal will probably be joined by his new teammate and fellow Canuck Svein Tuft at the Giro d'Italia. However, the big news in this year's Giro will be the Grand Tour comebacks of Lance Armstrong and Ivan Basso. Other big name cyclists who have said they will compete include Damiano Cunego, Gilberto Simoni, Carlos Sastre, Danilo DiLuca, and Denis Menchov. This year is the 100th Giro, and lots of special events will happen for the anniversary edition. It includes such things as getting designers Dolce & Gabbana to design this year's maglia rosa.
Some running news for 2009. Good news, Haile Gebrselassie is going to start 2009 with the Dubai Marathon on January 16th. Gebrselassie has run the 3 fastest marathons of all time in his last 3 marathons, and with Dubai offering a million dollar bonus for a new world record, it's possible that Geb might break his 2:03:59 record that he set in Berlin in September. Sean Hartnett from Track & Field News actually did a great poster of Geb's run in Berlin with splits of every kilometer during his record-breaking run. As you can see, Geb ran a negative split (about 11 seconds faster in the second half) and was metronomic, with one 13 km stretch where he ran between 2:56 and 2:59 per km. Just clockwork precision! A recent article on Geb helps uncover some of his secrets - like the two hours he runs every morning before going to work (he is a business owner in Ethiopia) before a second running workout every night.
More running news, and this has a definite Edmonton connection. Kevin Tyler, who has been coaching Canadian sprinters such as Tyler Christopher to world-class status in Edmonton since 2001, is leaving Canada to become head of coaching and development for UK Athletics. Too bad for Edmonton and for Athletics Canada. I was hoping Tyler would have gotten the job as the new head coach for Athletics Canada (Alex Gardiner was chosen to replace Les Gramantik). I'm hoping for good things to continue with the Edmonton sprinters (now coached by Derek Everly) and for Team Canada. Despite only the one medal in Beijing (from hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep), Canada's program still has many prospects for London 2012.
My New Year's Resolutions are as follows:
1. Try to go 52 for 52 for posting this blog on Friday's this year! But I do like the Monday recaps as well after busy weekends. So expect more posts in 2009 that 2008.
2. Expand the bike-y universe and spend a little more time on road racing (marathons etc) and track & field events.
3. Bike more!
Happy New Year Everyone!
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