From
the Isle of Man: Top pro cyclist Mark
Cavendish has been diagnosed with mononucleosis, and will need time out to make
a gradual return to health and then to training. The virus was identified
during a quarterly UCI blood test. Manxman
Cavendish has won 30 stages in the Tour de France and won the green points, top
Sprinter, jersey in the 2011 Tour. He is normally a perennial challenger in the
Spring Classics, or whenever a sprint is at challenge, so his presence has been
missed. He is the second rider on Dimension Data to be diagnosed with mono this
year after Jaco Venter in January. Hmmm...
That South African recently
returned to racing.
In Holland: The Amstel Gold Race takes place this Easter
Sunday. This annual road bicycle race brings
the pro cyclists tour into the Ardennes, and is held in the province of Limburg,
the Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring
classics, when climbers rather than sprinters begin to shine. Today's race takes place over 264.6 km and includes 35
climbs of varying difficulty. There’s a change in the final kilometers this year,
with the final ascent of the usually decisive Cauberg removed, for the first flat finish since 2002. This could considerably alter the outcome of
the race. The Amstel Gold Race is the
first of three events in the Ardennes Classic, all held this week. La Flèche Wallonne brings the pro cyclists
back into Belgium and takes place on Wednesday, April 19. Liège-Bastogne-Liège will conclude the week on Sunday, April 23.
