16 teams have been chosen to take part in the 80th edition of the Critérium International, due to be held in Porto-Vecchio (South Corsica) for the second time.
A 128-rider strong peloton will battle it out over three stages on March 26 and 27. Pierrick Fédrigo prevailed on the climb up the Col de l’Ospedale last year and will be defending his title with his new team, FDJ, while the master of the race, five-time winner Jens Voigt, is returning with his sights firmly set on the top prize after missing out on Corsica in 2010. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether the German will have to ride in support of his two leaders Fränk and Andy Schleck, who are expected to feature in this three-stage race.
Main contenders (as of February 14)
AG2R La Mondiale: Péraud, Perget (FRA); Euskaltel-Euskadi: S. Sánchez (SPA), Sicard (FRA); Leopard-Trek: F. and A. Schleck (LUX), Voigt (GER); Movistar Team: Rojas (SPA); Pro Team Astana: Vinokourov (KAZ), Di Grégorio (FRA); Sky Procycling: Gerrans, Rogers (AUS), Wiggins (GBR); Team Garmin-Cervélo: Hesjedal (CAN), Le Mével (FRA), D. Martin (IRE); Team RadioShack: Klöden (GER), Machado (POR); Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team: Hoogerland (NET); Bretagne-Schuller: Lebon, Dion (FRA); Cofidis, le Crédit en Ligne: Moncoutié (FRA), Taaramäe (EST); FDJ: Fédrigo, Roy (FRA); Saur-Sojasun: Coppel, Mangel (FRA); Team Europcar: Rolland, Voeckler (FRA); Skil-Shimano: Sprick (FRA); Bigmat-Auber 93: Méderel (FRA)
© Presse Sports
For the first time since the disappearance of the Tour of Corsica in the 1980’s, cycling’s elite came back to Corsica in 2010 to compete on the Critérium International.
Since the race formula won over not only the riders but also the organisers, the representatives of the local authorities involved and the Corsican public, an agreement has been signed for the next three editions of this three-stage road race. Christian Prudhomme travelled to Porto-Vecchio for a meeting with the town’s Mayor, Georges Mela, to officialise the installation of the Critérium International in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
The dates for your diaries are the 26th and 27th March 2011 for a two-day competition over three stages that will cover the demanding roads of Southern Corsica, following the format which has ensured the event’s success since 1932: one mountain stage, one flatter stage and one short-distance time-trial.
© Presse Sports
Pierrick Fedrigo (Bbox) resisted the challenge of time trial specialists to retain the yellow jersey earned bravely in the Col de l’Ospedale in Saturday’s fist act and win the Criterium International.
The Frenchman, who had grabbed two more seconds by finishing third in the short Sunday morning second stage, was 13th fastest in the final 7.7-kms time trial won by Briton David Millar, but it was more than enough to stay in the overall lead.In the final standings, the former French champion beat Australia’s Michael Rogers (HTC-Columbia) by 14 seconds while Portuguese Tiago Machado (RadioShack) was third, one second behind and was crowned the best under-25 rider in the race. Pre-race favourtie Alberto Contador partly avenged his huge disappointment in the first stage by finishing second against the clock, two seconds behind Millar, but two seconds ahead of Rogers.
© Presse Sports
The format of this year’s Criterium International is ideal on paper for Cadel Evans, but the world champion insisted Alberto Contador remained the true favourite in the two-day, three stage event.
“On Ospedale, it all depends how fast the others are going but yes it’s a climb that could suit me,” said the Australian, who checked the first stage final climb on Thursday.
© Presse Sports
Alberto Contador, who arrrived in Porto Vecchio on Thursday wasted no time and went straight to check the finishing climb of the first stage on the Col de l’Ospedale.
"It’s hard with very steep portions, but its should suit me fine," said the pre-race favourite, who surprised his rivals by announcing he was taking part in the Criterium International only ten days ago.
© Presse Sports
The Critérium International is setting its sights high. With its arrival in Corsica, the event will discover a route that is ideal for battles between climbers.
In this three-stage race, the episode devoted to climbs is often decisive. With the relief that the Isle of Beauty boasts, the organisers just had to give it pride of place, at the start of proceedings, to increase its length (175.5 km). The finishing line at the Ospedale Pass will lead to a severe cull in the number of pretenders for victory. What’s more, the quality of the “mountaineers” who will be taking starter’s orders in Porto-Vecchio hardly gives any clues on the gaps that might be opened up on the 14-kilometre long final climb. Without sparkling, the recent winner of Paris-Nice, Alberto Contador (AST), showed himself to be better than the rest on the slopes in Mende. Yet will an acceleration by the Spaniard be sufficient to leave world champion and best internationally ranked rider present in Corsica Cadel Evans (BMC) trailing in his wake? Similarly, will Lance Armstrong (RSH) be able to stay with the pace, or even respond to an attack from the leader of the Astana team?
Except the three main favourites of the Critérium, various top level climbers are likely to join the battle as they climb the Ospedale Pass: Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez (EUS), former Red Polka-dot Jersey on the Tour de France Mauricio Soler (GCE), or even Michael Rogers (THR) who won the Ruta del Sol a few weeks ago could also stand in the way of the favourites. Very imaginative and fervent French riders will try to take their chances. All the more since B.Feillu (VAC), Fédrigo (BTL) and Voeckler (BTL), three stage winners on the Tour de France 2009, will be present on the roads of the Critérium. Should the race be won during Sunday’s time-trial stage on the streets of Porto-Vecchio, the favourites will also have to watch out for Thomas Lövkvist (SKY) or even David Millar (GRM).
Spain
Caisse d’Epargne (GCE): Moreau (Fra), Soler (Col)
Euskaltel - Euskadi (EUS): S.Sánchez (Sp)
USA
BMC Racing Team (BMC): Evans (Aus)
Garmin-Transitions (GRM): Millar (Gbr), D.Martin (Irl)
Team HTC-Columbia (THR): Rabon (TCZ), Rogers (Aus)
Team Radio Shack (RSH): Armstrong (Usa), Horner (Usa)
Great-Brittan
Team Sky (SKY): Calzati (Fra), Lövkvist (Swe)
France
AG2R La Mondiale (ALM): Champion (Fra), A.Efimkin (Rus)
Bbox Bouygues Telecom (BBO): Voeckler (Fra), Rolland (Fra)
Cofidis, le Crédit en ligne (COF): Moncoutié (Fra), Moinard (Fra)
Française des Jeux (FDJ): Vaugrenard (Fra)
Saur-Sojasun (SAU): Coppel (Fra), Hivert (Fra)
Bretagne-Schuller (BSC): Jegou (Fra)
Roubaix Lille Métropole (RLM): Lhôtellerie (Fra)
Kazakhstan
Astana (AST): Contador (Sp), Vinokourov (Kaz)
The Netherlends
Skil-Shimano (SKS): Huguet (Fra)
Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (VAC): B.Feillu (Fra)
© Corsica Ferries
A date for the diary: this year the Critérium International will take place in Corsica, with Porto-Vecchio as its hub. Paradoxically, first and foremost a cycling race involves a lot of… cars. So that everyone can be ready at the seaside resort on Friday, a strategy for transporting the vehicles had to be set up. Corsica Ferries will be playing a major role.
By definition, roaming is written into the genes of a sport like cycling. However, the visit of the Critérium International 2010 to Corsica stands out: all the vehicles necessary for supervising the race will have to cross a part of the Mediterranean Sea. Whilst the airport in Figari is expecting to be busy welcoming the riders, who have mainly chosen to fly, the cars will be on a ‘cruise’ of more than 250 km, on a Corsica Ferries boat. For the organisers’ official vehicles, starting with the race management red Skoda Superbs, preparations for the transfer started immediately after Paris-Nice. Instead of returning to their garages in Paris following the victory of Alberto Contador, they extended their stay on the French Riviera to await the departure date to the Isle of Beauty, just like the dozen HGVs which will be transporting the mobile infrastructure (podium, finishing line gate, time-trial start ramp, etc.).
On the docks in the port of Toulon, the 113 vehicles belonging to the organisers will be joined by the cars from each of the 17 teams, who on average have three cars each (for team managers, physiotherapists, trainers, mechanics) and two HGVs (a bus and a service truck). In total, almost 200 vehicles will board the Mega Express I, which will be casting off on Thursday evening for a night-time crossing to Ajaccio. After landing, the two-hour journey leading to Porto-Vecchio will give all the drivers a preview of the relief to be faced by the riders during the stage on Saturday.
© A.S.O.
On March 27th & 28th, Porto-Vecchio will be right at the heart of the bicycle racing agenda. The world over, viewers will be witnessing there the reunion of Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.
This year, the Critérium International is unveiling new territories and providing riders with a slightly new format, i.e. a first day dedicated to a mountain stage. In order to integrate this new development, the TV broadcast has been enhanced with a live broadcast for the Saturday already, a broadcast that has been purchased by those broadcasters who generally follow the world bicycle racing scene and season. France Televisions has scheduled the broadcast of the race to start at 2.50 pm on Saturday, March 27th on France 2; the broadcast will be following the riders as they climb the Ospedale Pass, on top of which the finish line will be located. On the next day, the time-trial stage will be broadcast on France 3 from 3.20 pm to 4 pm. Moreover, France 3 Corsica has also scheduled a series of daily broadcasts of the three-stage event. The different Eurosport channels – Eurosport France, Eurosport International and Eurosport 2 – will also be covering the event and broadcasting it across Europe. As for the Americans and the Canadians, they will be able to follow the pre-recorded broadcast of the race but the most impatient viewers from across the Atlantic will be able to stay informed thanks to the real time updates available on the official website (www.letour.fr), where live updates will start at the same time as each of the three stages of the Critérium.
Main TV programmes:
> France Télévisions: Live on 27th March on France 2 (12.50 pm – 4 pm), Live on 28th March on France 3 (3.20 pm – 4 pm), news programmes on France 3 Corsica on 26th -27th -28th March (Corsica Sera, 7 pm)
> Eurosport: Live on Saturday 27th March on Eurosport 2 (3 pm – 4 pm), Live on Sunday 28th March on Eurosport France and Eurosport International (3.15 pm – 4 pm)
> www.letour.fr: a few minutes before the start of each stage, Live on the official website of the race: breaking news, stage summary, interviews…
The Critérium International on television:
Europe: France Télévisions, Eurosport, TV2 (Norway), TVE (Spain), NOS (The Netherlands), TV2 (Denmark), VRT (Belgium), RTBF (Belgium), Rai (Italy)…
America: Versus TV
Asia-Australasia: Eurosport Asia, Sky TV (New-Zeeland)
Africa: SuperSport (South Africa)
© Presse Sports
Alberto Contador’s season is well underway: after victory on the Tour of Algarve and Paris-Nice, the two times winner of the Tour de France has redefined his racing schedule, putting the Ardennes classics in his sights as well as the Corsican roads of the Critérium International.
In previous years, Alberto Contador spent most of his time in his home country, with the Tour of Catalonia and the Tour of the Basque Country as his interim targets. In fact, his provisional schedule seemed to be in keeping with his usual habits, but the experience of the Race to the Sun has evidently whetted the appetite of the Astana team leader, who has now enrolled on the Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Critérium International races. The format on the menu in Corsica, with in particular a hefty mountain stage on Saturday 27th March, was the element that tipped the balance for the Spaniard: “The Critérium International is a race perfectly suited to my characteristics and shorter than the Tour of Catalonia”, he explains on his web site (http://www.albertocontadornotebook.info). By setting course for Porto-Vecchio, Contador will also have an opportunity to test himself against a field of unequalled competitiveness at this time of year. He will be up against Lance Armstrong for victory, but also World Champion Cadel Evans, Olympic Champion Samuel Sánchez and David Millar.
© A.S.O.
The Critérium International, the three-stage race, has the advantage of an ideal setting on the island of Corsica. The terrain is perfect for a particularly challenging hill stage, brought forward to the first day this year in contrast to previous editions. The cyclists’ discovery of the island (this marks the first visit by the professional pack since the Tour de Corse in 2002) will start with a 175-kilometre stage beginning at Porto-Vecchio and finishing on the ascent to the Col de l’Ospedale pass. Laurent Bezault, who planned and carried out the reconnaissance for the route, explains this demanding stage.
The first stage of the Critérium International includes a series of climbs, of a completely different type to previous events. What scenario can we expect?
Usually the difficult aspect of the stage is the series of hills. This time, the hills won’t be quite as close together, but the climbs will be longer and sometimes steeper. In this respect, it’s more like a great mid-mountain stage on the Tour de France, or even one of the final stages on Paris-Nice, over the contours of the countryside around Nice and the Var region. In Corsica, the real difficulties will start at Propriano, as the cyclists tackle the second half of the stage with narrower and more winding roads. I think this is where we will start to see some attacks, and the leaders will need to fight to stay ahead. The heavyweights of the day will fight it out on the climb towards the Col de L’Ospedale pass.
Could this climb result in a real battle of climbers?
There is a 14-kilometre climb, with an average height difference of 6.2%, it’s long and tough. If we take the Tour de France as a reference, in the Alps the climb to the Col des Saisies pass (14.5 km at 5.1%) is a category one climb, as is the ascent to the Col d’Aspin pass in the Pyrenees (12.3 km at 6.3%). The Ospedale represents almost the same level of difficulty. I imagine that it won’t be enough to create large gaps between the top cyclists, but on the Critérium winning is a matter of seconds. In my opinion, there will be around ten riders who will make it to the top within thirty seconds of each other, leaving various possibilities for the two stages the following day.
17 teams have been selected for the Critérium International 2010. This year, the three-stage race will take place in southern Corsica, in the region of Porto-Vecchio, on 27 and 28 March.
The 17 teams
Spain
Caisse d’Epargne (GCE)
Euskaltel - Euskadi (EUS)
USA
BMC Racing Team (BMC)
Garmin-Transitions (GRM)
Team HTC-Columbia (THR)
Team Radio Shack (RSH)
Great-Britain
Team Sky (SKY)
France
AG2R La Mondiale (ALM)
Bbox Bouygues Telecom (BBO)
Cofidis, le Crédit en ligne (COF)
Française des Jeux (FDJ)
Saur-Sojasun (SAU)
Bretagne-Schuller (BSC)
Roubaix Lille Métropole (RLM)
Kazakhstan
Astana (AST)
The Netherlands
Skil-Shimano (SKS)
Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team (VAC)
© A.S.O.
30 years ago, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle was already a regular on the Tour of Corsica, which belonged to a circuit of early-year races which he took part in for the first professional team he represented, namely Peugeot. Though the Tour of Corsica, in spite of several interruptions, still exists in a format exclusively reserved for amateurs, the elite pack of riders has not been back to the Isle of Beauty since 1982. Here, the winner of the 1980 edition looks back on the place this race occupied in the racing calendar and the role that it played in his career.
What are your oldest memories of the Tour of Corsica?
The first time I took part in the Tour of Corsica was in 1978. At the time, we started the year on the French Riviera, with the Antibes Grand Prix, The Tour of the Mediterranean and the Tour of the Upper Var, and then we participated in the Tour of Corsica to finish preparations, before getting to grips with Paris-Nice. I won a stage in that 1978 edition and, in fact, it was my first victory as a professional rider. Of course, I went back the next year, when I wore the leader’s jersey for three or four days before being knocked off first place by Michel Laurent in the last time-trial.
For your next attempt, it was a case of third time lucky…
I knew that I could ride well on this race, so in 1980 I went for it on the very first stage. We were in a breakaway made up of four riders, including Jean-René Bernaudeau, and at the stage finish, I struck out and won. Afterwards, I controlled the situation and kept the jersey until the end. Straight after, I won Paris-Nice and came second on Paris-Roubaix! You could say that Corsica was the turning point in my career. From that year onward, I belonged to the group of riders who the public recognised and were waiting to see on the roadsides.
However, you did not manage to defend your title…
In 1981, my team-mate Stephen Roche won the race. Then in 1982, we were up against Bernard Hinault, who was riding for Renault, but we didn’t manage to keep him under control. At the time, it really was a race for the tough guys. After that, I haven’t been back, until the presentation of the Critérium International a short while ago. I noticed that the state of the roads has improved a lot, because back in my day there were potholes everywhere. I reckon that the stage on the Col de l’Ospedale will be spectacular. The race strategies will be very different from previous editions.
© A.S.O.
The show in three acts under preparation in southern Corsica on 27th and 28th March is starting to take greater shape with the announcement of the route conjured up for the three stages of the Critérium International.
The relief of the island, with its mountains that drop straight into the sea, is perfectly suited to an eventful mountain stage. This outstanding terrain gave the organisers the idea of changing the usual schedule. The stage on Saturday, following the start in Porto-Vecchio, will instantly give the riders vertigo with the climb up the Col de Parmentile, then later on towards the Col de Bacinu. More importantly, the summit of the ascent to the Col de l’Ospédale will host the finishing line for this first stage, where a climber could put in a good shout for overall victory. However, the following morning, the looped stage starting and finishing in Porto-Vecchio will be an opportunity for lively and robust attackers. Over a distance of 75 km, a well-organised breakaway group could lay a trap for even the best riders: just a slight hesitation would be enough. Afterwards, all that remains for hopeful victors to turn the tide is the very technical 7.7 km individual time-trial in Porto-Vecchio. When it comes to the crunch, at the forefront we could well see Lance Armstrong, Cadel Evans or Olympic Champion Samuel Sanchez, who have already enrolled for this Corsican adventure. As for the French contingent, David Moncoutié, Thomas Voeckler, Pierrick Fedrigo and Clément Lhôtellerie have also thrown their hats into the ring.
After 9 years in Charleville Mézières and around the Ardennes, the Criterium International will settle its caravan in Porto-Vecchio in Corsica in 2010.
The details of its 79th edition which will take place on the 27th and 28th of March 2010, will be revealed during a press conference held within the first days of February.
Above all A.S.O., organiser of the race, warmly wants to thank the General Council of the Ardennes and the city of Charleville Mezieres who trusted and supported them for all these years.