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Liquigas-Cannondale 1-2 in Frankfurt |
 Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt is a semi classic cycling race around Frankfurt am Main, the largest city in Hesse and the transportation center of Germany. The difficult course winds through the Taunus Mountains and includes over 2000m of climbing, the most infamous climb being the Mammolshain with a 26% grade. The race ends with 3 laps (4.5km) in the city center of Frankfurt and for the last 3 years has been won by a German rider.
Liquigas rider, Stefano Garzelli, won the Frankfurt event in 2006 and the Italian team was motivated for another shot at victory this year. The team in green was strong and by the last kilometers a four-man breakaway group included two Liquigas-Cannondale riders, Moreno Moser and Dominique Nerz.
The leading four had a 35 second gap on the peloton and were working together to navigate city corners when Moser came from the back of the line with an incredible sprint effort. He was untouchable out in front and crossed the line 5 seconds ahead of his teammate, Nerz who took second for a Liquigas one-two victory.
“I found myself in the ideal situation to try the move that I do best, and the good form I’ve developed this spring enabled me to do it successfully,” Moser comments.
"When I kicked I immediately realised that none of my opponents had chased me. This gave me the boost and drive to go for it and not give up. I’m really, really happy: I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season or my pro career than this.”
Final Frankfurt Kilometers Video: Click Here
Moreno and the Liquigas-Cannondale team shared the SRM race file below giving us a closer look at the efforts that went in to his second victory of his first full professional season.
Moser completed the race with 239 average watts which required an energy demand of more than 4,015 kilocalories (the human body has approximately 23% efficiency on the bike). His speed averaged 40.5kph and he maintained a 76 average cadence throughout the day. Weighing in at approximately 64kg, Moser had some very impressive maximum power outputs.
5 second 1,017 watts
10 second 915 watts
20 second 805 watts
1 minute 568 watts
2 minute 462 watts
4 minute 440 watts
8 minute 395 watts = 6.2 watts/kilogram
16 minute 345 watts
30 minute 322 watts
1 hour 288 watts Click on Files to Enlarge
The initial breakaway, led by Tony Martin, took place with 45km remaining on the first Mammolshainer climb. Moser pushed over 568 watts up the ascent in an effort to stay with the leaders. The steepness of the climb can be felt through his data, when despite a cadence of around 75rpm his speed was reduced to 14kph.
On the second Mammolshainer climb the young Italian averaged 412 watts with a 915 watt surge while battling for position. Moser averaged nearly 310 watts as the foursome raced the final 32km. The riders took turns towing the line through the remaining flat section of Frankfurt and Moser’s power has peaks and drops as he moves between group leader and follower.
In the final kilometer, Moser made an extreme sprint attack and no one was able to follow. He pushed 1,163 watts at 62kph to cross the line 5 seconds ahead of his German teammate, Nerz. “This was a tremendous effort,” notes SRM founder, Uli Schoberer. “I watched him win Trofeo Laigueglia earlier this year. The race is the most important spring road event in Italy and is only 200km from our SRM office in Lucca. Moser won the same way in Frankfurt with a powerful sprint attack. We are proud to sponsor Liquigas-Cannondale and I look forward to seeing the team at the Giro this year.”
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Albasini Takes On "The Wall" at La Flèche Wallonne with GreenEDGE |
 La Flèche Wallonne (the Walloon Arrow) is a Belgian classic road cycling event first run in 1936 and added to the UCI World Ranking calendar in 2009. The route has undergone many changes over the years and today starts in the city of Charleroi heading east to Huy. The final portion of the 194km race features three laps of a difficult circuit which includes the Mur de Huy (the wall of Huy) climb where the finish line awaits.
GreenEDGE, a thrilling new addition to the SRM team sponsorship program, continued to build their spring classic momentum with a second place finish in La Flèche Wallonne. The Green EDGE Swiss rider, Michael Albasini, was able to keep the defending champion, Philippe Gilbert (BMC), in check as they sprinted to the finish behind Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha.
“Today was a really great result for myself and the team,” said Albasini. “The guys placed me perfectly at every part of the race and made it possible for me to conserve my energy in the last part of the final climb.”
Video of the last kilometer: Click here.
Michael came to GreenEDGE from HTC-Highroad and has nearly ten years of experience in professional cycling and a wealth of knowledge in the area of training and racing with the SRM PowerMeter. Michael and the GreenEDGE staff kindly shared his SRM race file from La Flèche Wallonne giving us a deeper understanding of the efforts put forth on race day.
Albasini averaged 259.4 watts for the day with an average speed of 40.7kph. Weighing in around 65kg his watts per kilogram for the day was 4.0. The Max Power function in SRM software shows Albasini’s 5 second max was 992.8 watts and the difference between his 20 minute (340.7) and 1 hour (317.9) max power was less than 23 watts.
The first third of the course is relatively flat, but with the harsh windy conditions Albasini pushed over 240 average watts and had a power surge of 1,004 watts as he worked with his teammates for position. Approximately half way through the race the riders reached the highest elevation point. As the group leaves the rise behind Michael is able to push over 500 watts on the slight downhill.
 In the final 5km in Huy, Albasini rode behind Rodriguez (Katusha) with Gilbert (BMC) and Nibali (Liquigas). After nearly 5 hours of racing, the strong Swiss was able to push between 700 and 900 watts in several sections to maintain position as the infamous Mur de Huy climb and finish line approach. Albasini out rode Gilbert in the final kilometer, averaging 543 watts and finishing in second place, 4 seconds behind the new Katusha champion.
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Radioshack's Roulston Stays Strong in Flanders |
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The Spring Classic, Tour of Flanders, is held in Belgium one week before Paris-Roubaix and is considered one of the monuments of the European professional cycling calendar, as its nickname Vlaanderens mooiste (Dutch for “Flanders’ finest”) illustrates.
Team Radioshack Nissan Trek had selected their World Time Trial Champion and Olympic gold medalist, Fabian Cancellara, to go for the Flanders win. Cancellara was an obvious favorite as he won the race in 2010 and finished 3rd in the Classic last year. “We clearly had the strongest guy in the race,” notes teammate, Hayden Roulston. “And on this course only the strongest would win.”
Hayden Roulston, of New Zealand, specializes in Classics and had been elected to ride with Fabian. Radioshack’s race was going exactly as planned with only 62km left to go. “At the second feed we had 8 riders in the first group of 80, which is pretty impressive,” adds Roulston. It was in the feed zone when Fabian Cancellara crashed hard breaking his collarbone in three places. “We were down to 5 because Jesse and Markel stopped with him, unsure what to do, but if he got back up he would have some support coming back… he never got back up.” 
Despite Cancellara’s painful crash, Roulston was still feeling strong and at ease on the cobbles. His blog details the race, “I was always in the front the last 40k, that was a nice feeling in itself... coming into the last lap up the Kwaremont i never quite got the position I wanted… Guys were tired and dropping wheels and I had to wait for a gap before I could go... By this time there was already a 50m gap to the 3 leaders, something which seems like minutes after 250k. I was gutted, in hindsight I should have fought harder to be in the front, but think of it like this: 1k before the Kwaremont (a 2.5km long cobbled stretch) you have to go full gas, like as if it’s a sprint finish just to get in the position. You then turn right onto the climb, relax a little then again go full gas up it. After 250k this is no easy task mentally, but when I think about it now I wish I had of. I really feel that if I was on Boonens wheel or closer I would have held it to the top. Again, you learn something new every day.”
Hayden shared his SRM race file below to give us a closer look at his Flanders performance. Finishing 21st, Hayden averaged nearly 285 watts, burning 6,322 kilojoules, including a 5 second max power of 1,098 watts.
In the final 62km, after losing Fabian and the original race strategy, Hayden stayed focused and strong averaging over 325 watts. As he battled for position in a 2.75km rolling section, Hayden holds an average of 440 watts (5.2 watts per kilo) for almost 6 minutes and peaks with a power surge of 730 watts, an outstanding effort towards the end of 256km day.
“So on one hand I’m happy,” writes Hayden. “I proved today I’ve got the legs to be up there. I rode a good race, I never died.”
Hayden's Blog: Click Here
Video update from Fabian Cancellara: Click Here
Click on SRM files to enlarge.
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Cipollini's Birthday and Comeback |
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 SRM is thrilled to wish long time friend and neighbor, Mario Cipollini, a very happy 45th birthday today! The renowned Italian cyclist, commonly known as “Cipo”, has earned a place in cycling history as one of the strongest sprinters in the sport.
Today, Mario lives next door to the SRM Italia headquarters in Lucca. He trained and competed with the SRM Training System throughout his career and in recent months as he prepares for his next cycling comeback.
“I want to return to racing,” Cipollini declares. “I feel good, and I feel an extreme desire to work hard.”
In addition to his professional cycling career, Cipo launched his own brand of bicycles in 2010, followed by a distinctive bike wear clothing line. The Gran Fondo Mario Cipollini, beginning in Lucca, was also established in his image, offering an “exclusive and relaxed ambience as well as prolonged experience.” 
Lucca, Italy: Home of SRM Italia & Mario Cipollini
SRM owner and founder, Uli Schoberer adds “I respect him very much and appreciate how he approaches cycling. Cycling is more than just a sport; it is a culture and lifestyle. I love how he presents the sport to the public and makes it intriguing to not only cycling enthusiasts, but to all people.”
Cipollini's Return Video: Click Here
The Best Sprinters in Giro d'Italia History: Click Here
Click on file to enlarge.
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Milan - San Remo: GreenEDGE |
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 Milan – San Remo is also known as “La Primavera,” meaning spring, and is one of Italy’s most prestigious cycling races. This year was the 103rd running of the event which covers 298km of Italian countryside, the longest of the Spring Classics.
GreenEDGE Cycling Team, a new and exciting addition to the SRM sponsorship program, celebrated a monumental victory at the Milan - San Remo finish line. Their Australian National Road Champion, Simon Gerrans, outsprinted Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan-Trek) and Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) to become the second Australian ever to win La Primavera.
“I still haven’t realized what we actually did today,” said Gerrans. “This is an amazing feeling to win this monument. The team rode perfectly, and we played our cards just the right way.” 
The entire team was truly overjoyed and ‘behind the scenes’ cameras captured their victory celebration in the moment for family, friends, and supporters. Uli Schoberer, SRM owner and founder, watched the video and shared in the team’s delight from his SRM headquarters in Colorado Springs. He is thrilled to be working with such a passionate, driven, and successful program.
Watch GreenEDGE Backstage Pass: Click Here.
“I knew immediately after meeting with the team in Italy that we will be successful partners,” Uli adds. “They are true believers in training with power and know the value that comes with accurate and consistent data. I admire the Australian mentality and look forward to supporting and encouraging the team through their first year on the pro tour.”
The team trains and competes on the SRM Dura-Ace Compatible PowerMeter with a special edition green and black PowerControl 7. Below is Simon Gerran's winning race file from Milan - San Remo. Gerrans averaged over 210 watts for 298km, finishing in 6:59:24. He climbed nearly 6,900 feet, an effort requiring more than 5,600 calories. In the final sprint Gerrans delivered a power surge of 1,300 watts to take the victory. Team Director, Matt White, was happy to voice “this is the biggest win of his career.”
T: Time / P: Power / H: Heart rate / S: Speed (mph) / C: Cadence
A: Altitude (ft) / D: Distance (miles) / E: Energy (kilojoules)
Click on file to enlarge.
Complete File
Final 20km: Gerrans must hold over 300 average watts for the last 20km after riding nearly 280km.
The Break: Gerrans pushes 1,188 watts to stay with Cancellara and Nibali in the uphill attack.
Final 2km: Gerran's delivers a 400 average watt effort in the final 2km as the trio approaches the finish.
The Final 10sec Sprint: A 1,300 watt surge with 183 heart rate and 60 kph secures the GreenEDGE victory.
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