Dekker and Flecha extended with Rabobank

Dekker

Thomas Dekker will keep racing for the Rabobank Cycling Team at least until the end of the 2009 season. General director Theo de Rooij brought the news this morning during the presentation of the Rabobank team for the Tour de France in Valkenburg, The Netherlands. Early this morning, the two reached an agreement over the contract extension.

De Rooij was more than happy when announcing the deal. De Rooij: "Thomas is only 22 years old. It all goes so fast. At that age, being able to impress in races like Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of Swiss and the Tour of Romandie… It is good for Dutch cycling in general and for the Rabobank Cycling Teams more in particular to keep Thomas aboard for at least two more years."

Thomas Dekker joined the Rabobank Cycling Teams in 2002. In his first season with the junior squad of Frans Maassen, Dekker recorded no less than 22 victories, one being the National Championship individual time trial.

In 2003 and 2004 Thomas Dekker combined for 24 victories with the Continental Team of team leaders Nico Verhoeven and Piet Kuijs. In 2003, Dekker won the National Championships both in the road race and the individual time trial, the overaal of the Oberösterreich  Rundfahrt plus two stages in the Ster Elektrotoer. On top of that, he was crowned best under 23 rider in the Netherlands right after his victory in the under 23 edition of the Grand Prix des Nations.

In 2004, Dekker continued winning the final classifications of Triptyque des Mons et Chateaux, the Thüringen Rundfahrt and Olympia’s Tour. In Bergeijk, The Netherlands, being the National Champion in the individual time trial, he added another red-white-and-blue jersey to his wardrobe. Astonishing was his victory in the Grand Prix Eddy Merckx together with Koen de Kort, where well known time trial specialists were beaten by a very young Dekker.

In September 2004, Thomas Dekker became a stagiair with the Rabobank ProTeam. His 2005 season was once again highlighted by the National Championship individual time trial. At 21 years of age, Dekker impressed in 2006 by winning the overall in the Tirreno-Adriatico. This year, Dekker has stepped up once again by winning stages in the Tours of Switzerland and Romandie. Winning the overall in the Tour of Romandie, Dekker has already won his second ProTour stagerace.

Read also: Luigi Cecchini: "If media is creating a certain image of you you can't really fight it"

Flecha

During the presentation of the Rabobank squad for the Tour de France, De Rooij spoke highly of Flecha’s character. De Rooij: "Riders like Flecha may not be the best known with the Dutch cycling fans. But Flecha represents a great value for the team. He is a fantastic guy, a true cycling adept."

Ever since the start of the 2006 season, Juan Antonio Flecha is part of the Rabobank Cycling Team. So far, Flecha has played an important role in the spring classics. This year, Flecha finished second in both Omloop Het Volk and Paris – Roubaix. In 2006 he came in second in Plouay, fouth in the Flèche Brabançonne and seventh in the ENECO Tour.

In 2003, Flecha had his finest hour. That year in Toulouse he beat Rabo rider Bram de Groot with four seconds for a stage victory in the Tour de France. That success was followed in 2004 by victories in the Championship of Zürich and the Giro del Lazio.

Ivan Stevic of the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team won the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) B World Championship road race Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa.

Stevic completed the challenging 100-mile (161 km) race in four hours, one minute and 47 seconds. Namibia’s Erik Hoffman finished second and Alexandr Pliuschin of Moldova was third.

Stevic’s victory is his sixth of the season and earns him an automatic entry into the Beijing Olympic Games next year.

The UCI B World Championships are an opportunity for countries where cycling is not necessarily a major sport to qualify cyclists for the Olympics.

Stevic is now headed to his home country of Serbia to defend his national road race title. He returns to the U.S. for the International Tour de Toona in Central Pennsylvania July 23-29.

Ivan Dominguez Second in First Race Back
Manhattan Beach, Calif. – Ivan Dominguez’s will to win was strong Sunday at the 46th edition of the Chevron Manhattan Beach Grand Prix. But after a month-and-a-half of rehabilitating a back injury, his legs were not quite fast enough to deliver him first to the finish line at the end of the 90-minute race.

"I wanted to win badly because so many people came out to see me," Dominguez said after finishing second to Rahsaan Bahati (Rock Racing). "But I just didn’t feel fast enough today."

Dominguez was quick to add that Bahati – a former junior national criterium and road champion – won the field sprint impressively. Bahati’s teammate, Kayle Leo Grande, also made the podium with his third-place finish.

"Bahati was 10 kilometers faster than me," Dominguez said. "He’s riding good and this was good for him because his team owner put a lot of resources and backing into the race."

Toyota-United Team Director Harm Jansen said Dominguez’s result should instill some confidence in the Cuban super sprinter. Dominguez won eight races in the first three-and-a-half months of the season before being sidelined following a crash after the finish of Stage 1 at the Tri-Peaks Challenge on May 17.

"Of course you always want to win, but second place isn’t bad," Jansen said.

With six other teammates in the race Sunday, Dominguez was able to sit in the back of the peloton and periodically test his legs for what would ultimately be a dash to a 180-degree corner that sets the riders up for a final 300-meter sprint to the finish.

"I did a few sprints in the back to see how my legs were going and I knew then that I was not 100 percent," Dominguez said.

Sunday’s race, in front of an estimated crowd of more than 7,500 spectators, was streamed live on the Internet by iBN Sports. On-line viewers saw Dominguez’s Toyota-United teammates Ryan Miller, Jose Manuel "Chepe" Garcia, Caleb Manion, Chris Wherry, Sean Sullivan and Henk Vogels mass at the front with three laps to go.

Sullivan said what viewers at home could not see in the closing laps was a "messy and dangerous" battle as dozens of riders also fought their way to be in the front.

"The way the wind was blowing today, it was a pretty easy ride so at the finish, everyone was really fresh," he said.

The aggressive racing came to a head with half-a-lap to go when Wherry nearly crashed.

"Chris basically got pinched out and it nearly took out all the spokes in his front wheel," Jansen said. "Until that point, we had everything set up perfectly. So they had to come from 20 guys back so it really disrupted their whole rhythm."

Still, Vogels was able to tow Dominguez up to the front and get him into the final turn in second place.

"I went right out of the turn but Bahati made it seem like I was standing still when he went by," Dominguez said.

Next up for Dominguez and Toyota-United is the Infineon Cougar Mountain Classic at the Infineon, Calif., Raceway July 7-8. Both the criterium on Saturday and circuit race on Sunday will utilize the 12-turn, 2.52-mile twisting and turning course.

"It’s all about Ivan next weekend," Jansen said. "With the guys’ help, he has to go out there and make it happen."

Bobby Lea Second In Fitchburg Finale
The final stage of the 47th edition of the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic Sunday was perfectly suited for Toyota-United’s Bobby Lea.

The 55-lap, 50-mile (80.5 km) criterium on a flat, three-corner course seemed destined to come down to a field sprint.

Lea, who has one criterium win to his credit this season and a runner-up finish in another, worked his way to the front on the final lap.

"I was second through the last corner and had to hit out before 200 (meters) to go into a headwind," Lea said.

The solo effort allowed Amaurys Perez (GS Mengoni) to slip by in the closing meters and steal the win in the Workers Credit Union Downtown Criterium. Lea’s second place finish was his best result of the four-day, four-stage race in Massachusetts.

Lea’s teammate, Stefano Barberi, finished 19th in Saturday’s 69-mile (111 km) Wachusett Mountain Road Race and placed 57th overall, 10:48 back of overall winner Jacob Rytlewski (Rite Aid Pro Cycling). Lea finished the race 63rd overall, 16:33 back, and was fifth in the points competition.

Toyota-United Team Owner: How To Stop Doping
The negative headlines that pro cycling is attracting through doping scandals in Europe are nothing new. In fact, they are likely to increase as the Tour de France gets underway in London on Saturday.

Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Owner Sean Tucker was recently asked by  René Schuijlenburg of our website what can be done to stop the issue of doping in the pro peloton.

In the interview, Tucker said the dynamics in European bicycle racing are structured to open the door to doping for two reasons: First, the riders are doing long, two- and three-week stage races. And second, if they do well in these big races, they can make a million or more dollars in salary and endorsements per year.

Tucker proposes a system that would hold a large percentage of a rider’s salary for an extended period, requiring a rider to test “clean” before he receives the balance of his paycheck.

"If a rider tests positive over the duration of a rolling 12-month window while under contract, he would forfeit the unpaid balance of his salary," Tucker said. "The money would instead go toward a foundation created to further research on doping and its psychological effects on cyclists."

Read the full interview at: Toyota United's Sean P. Tucker: "There are ... only two ways to fix the problem of doping"