GIRO D'ITALIA

Sat, 07 May 2011 11:44:00 +0000

We caught up with Thomas Löfkvist ahead of arguably the biggest test of his career, a leadership role at the Giro d’Italia.

After a strong performance at the 2010 Tour de France, it was only a matter of time before the Swede was handed the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the world’s best stage racers with the weight of a team behind him.

The 27-year-old was typically laid-back in the run-up to the race but insists the team can spring a surprise in what looks set to be one of the toughest Grand Tours ever. A brutal prospect from start to finish, this year’s event will reward consistency and climbing prowess, two traits Löfkvist has in abundance.

Quietly confident with his preparation, an attack in the closing stages of La Flèche Wallonne was just one of a number of glimpses at a rider honing his form for what he admits is his main target this season.

He told us: “I had good sensations in the Ardennes Classics and since then I've also been feeling good. Now with a couple of easy days I should be in good shape for the start of the Giro on Saturday.

“I had a couple of rest days after Liege then I did a hard block of training with Kjell Carlström, then I had a couple more easy days after that.

“We’ve done a fair bit of climbing in the high mountains and efforts in the climbs which is obviously necessary with the parcours in Italy.”

Raring to go

With a number of riders admitting a nervous apprehension ahead of a route that includes seven mountain top finishes, in contrast, where others see danger, Löfkvist sees opportunity.

He added: “I’m looking forward to it. It is my main goal this year and this is what I’ve been preparing for but I’m really looking forward to getting started now.

“We are not here to kill the bunch. I think the team has a great opportunity to get a stage victory or two and for myself I hope I can place myself really high up on the GC.

“The route is super hard. I think they probably went a bit over the top with it but it is the same for everyone. Everybody has to climb the same mountains.

“It will be important that you use your energy in the right way. You have to minimise the time losses which means you have to be good and consistent all the time.”

Reinforcements

Löfkvist arrives in Italy flanked by a strong team of riders. A potent mix that blends youth and experience, the nine-man squad is one which the Swede is happy to go into battle alongside.

He said: “We have a good mix in the team. We have a couple of guys who are trying their first grand tour. But then again half the guys have been there before. [Dario] Cioni came fourth in the Giro and Carlström had been riding in support of Ivan Basso for years. So we have a lot of experience too.”

Returning to the Giro will always be special for Löfkvist, who in 2009 added his name to a prestigious list of riders who have pulled on the iconic maglia rosa leader’s jersey.

“For sure it brings back a lot of good memories so it will be nice to come back again. In general I like racing in Italy and the Giro is the biggest race they have. For sure it is a really nice race,” he reflected.

“In the Giro I think [Vincenzo] Nibali (Liquigas) and [Alberto] Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) are the really main guys. Then it will be quite open after that I’d say.”

We wish thomas good luck !
GO Götland

A chat with Thomas

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:31:00 +0000

LÖFKVIST LOOKING AHEAD

Thomas Löfkvist is pleased with the way he has started his season and will be going all out again at Milan San-Remo on Saturday to try and maximise Team Sky's chances of success.

The Swede began his 2011 campaign by battling to sixth place overall at the Ruta del Sol last month and followed that up with another top-10 finish at Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old was using both races to build up his condition gradually ahead of a busy summer schedule and he admits he is right where he wants to be going into the first Monument of the cycling season.

He told us: "Yes, I have built up a really solid base now and I am very happy about that. Obviously, there is still some form lacking but everything is going according to plan.

"The Ruta del Sol was a really good start-up race and much harder than I expected it to be. That was a good thing though, and it helped me a lot going into Tirreno-Adriatico.

"In terms of Tirreno, everything was on a much larger scale and the competition was fiercer, which was not surprising given the level of prestige the race holds in Italy. It was another nice race to do though, and one with really hard finishes every day.

"It was encouraging for me to be up there in the standings and that spurred me on to give it my best shot. Unfortunately, the time splits weren't always on my side and I lost a couple of seconds where I perhaps shouldn't have, but in general I was very pleased with the way things went."

Preparation key

When Tirreno-Adriatico reached its conclusion on Tuesday, Löfkvist's attention quickly turned towards Milan-San Remo, and although the 298km trek across North-West Italy is not ideally suited to his more mountainous style, it is one that he still holds in very high regard.

He added: "I've ridden this race quite a few times before and it is one that I enjoy a lot. The length, history and speed of it is something which is always great to be part of and hopefully we can give it a really good go this year.

"Our preparation has been pretty thorough; we went down to San Remo before the start of Tirreno to have a look at the last 100km of the course, so we know what is to come and how best to approach it.

"Obviously, having ridden it about five times already, I'm starting to know the key climbs pretty well now but it's always good to refresh your memory in a race as important as this.

"Positioning is so important coming into those climbs, and you have to look at the run-ins to them closely, whilst also memorising the descents. There is often a lot of nervousness within the peloton at those times so you have to know what you are doing."

Support role

Löfkvist's role in Milan-San Remo will be to support Edvald Boasson Hagen in his bid for glory and he believes the young Norwegian has a great chance of being in the mix:

"If Edvald has good legs on the day then he has got to be one of the main contenders, for sure, and we'll all be 100% behind him.

"Although he pulled out of Tirreno a few days early, he seems to be on top of things and has done some good training since, so I'm not concerned about him at all.

"My job will be to support him towards the end, making sure he is good over the Cipressa, and then that will hopefully put him in a strong position for the final stages.

"If, for whatever reason he isn't feeling good though, then we won't be afraid to change our tactics and opportunities could then open up for guys like G [Geraint Thomas] or [Juan Antonio] Flecha."

And in terms of the other race favourites, Löfkvist feels Thor Hushovd and Mark Cavendish could be the ones to watch.

He concluded: "Thor is riding really well at the moment and it will be interesting to see how good Cav is. He's been relatively quiet so far this season, but you never know whether that's down to his form or whether he's been saving his energies for a race like this. It going to be a really interesting race and I'm really looking forward to get going now."

Tirreno-Adriatico stage 6

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:05:00 +0000

LÖFKVIST SURVIVES FLAT TYRE

Thomas Löfkvist battled back from a flat tyre to finish just nine seconds down on Cadel Evans after the Australian had sprinted to victory on a hotly-contested penultimate stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.

Löfkvist had been right in the mix on the fourth and final lap of Macerata, but required a wheel change after puncturing less than 10 kilometres from home and worked brilliantly to limit his losses on the steep drag back up to the destination town.

ThOMAS ended the day in 14th position and dropped one place in the overall standings to ninth as a consequence.

1 - Cadel Evans (AUS) - BMC Racing - (27:26:33)

2 - Michele Scarponi (ITA) - Lampre - (+9)

3 - Ivan Basso (ITA) - Liquigas - (+12)

4 - Robert Gesink (NED) - Rabobank - (+15)

5 - Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) - Liquigas - (+21)

6 - Damiano Cunego (ITA) - Lampre - (+24)

7 - Philippe Gilbert (BEL) - Omega Pharma - Lotto - (+33)

8 - Tiago Machado (POR) - RadioShack - (+42)

9 - Thomas Löfkvist - Team Sky - (+46)

10 - Marco Pinotti (ITA) - HTC - Highroad - (+46)

Tirreno-Adriatico

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:14:00 +0000

Thomas climbs one place up in GC

Thomas Löfkvist moved up one place to eighth in the overall standings at Tirreno-Adriatico after ending the fifth stage less than a minute down on the triumphant Philippe Gilbert.

Also see Tirreno-Adriatico Race HubPhoto GalleriesResult/StandingsiPhone appTeam Sky FacebookTeam Sky Twitter

Thomas spent much of the day shadowing the race's other main contenders and kept his focus as attacks came thick and fast in the final kilometres before crossing the line 10 seconds ahead of overnight leader Robert Gesink (Rabobank).

now he sits 27 seconds adrift with two stages remaining.

1 - Cadel Evans (AUS) - BMC Racing - (22:48:43)

2 - Ivan Basso (ITA) - Liquigas - (+2)

3 - Damiano Cunego (ITA) - Lampre - (+3)

4 - Michele Scarponi (ITA) - Lampre - (+5)

5 - Robert Gesink (NED) - Rabobank - (+5)

6 - Sebastian Langeveld (NED) - Rabobank - (+19)

6 - Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) - Liquigas - (+12)

7 - Philippe Gilbert (BEL) - Omega Pharma - Lotto - (+23)

8 - Thomas Löfkvist - Team Sky - (+27)

9- Damiano Caruso (ITA) - Liquigas - (+34)

Tirreno-Adriatico

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:05:00 +0000

SOLID DISPLAY FROM LÖFKVIST

Thomas was well protected by his team-mates on the longest stage of the tour and gave it his all on the devilishly steep climb up to Chieti, crossing the line just 17 seconds behind the triumphant Michele Scarponi.

Löfkvist's result means he now sits 37 seconds behind new race leader Robert Gesink (Rabobank), who ended the day in sixth. Evans meanwhile, is 10 seconds back in second place overall, with Ivan Basso third (+12) and Scarponi (+15) fourth.

1 - Robert Gesink (NED) - Rabobank - (16:05:10)

2 - Cadel Evans (AUS) - BMC Racing - (+10)

3 - Ivan Basso (ITA) - Liquigas - (+12)

4 - Michele Scarponi (ITA) - Lampre - (+15)

5 - Damiano Cunego (ITA) - Lampre - (+19)

6 - Sebastian Langeveld (NED) - Rabobank - (+19)

7 - Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) - Liquigas - (+22)

8 - Damiano Caruso (ITA) - Liquigas - (+34)

9 - Thomas Löfkvist - Team Sky - (+37)

10 - Peter Velits (SVK) - HTC - Highroad - (+37)

Start of the season 2011 - Ruta del Sol

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:07:00 +0000

Thomas Löfkvist got his2011 campaign off to solid start by finishing inside the top 10 during the prologue of the Ruta del Sol.

Thomas Löfkvist finished in eighth on the lumpy 6.8km course which started and finished in Benahavís, and both riders ended the day less than 10 seconds down on the triumphant Jimmy Engoulvent (Saur Sojasun), who clocked a time of nine minutes and 28 seconds.

Dramatic start

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 07:41:00 +0000

Team Sky finished in 14th place, 28 seconds behind winners HTC-Columbia, in the floodlit team time trial which opened the 75th anniversary of the Vuelta a España.

They had to battle back after leading general classification hope Thomas Löfkvist lost touch in the early stages.

Team Principal Dave Brailsford explained: "They went off like a train and Thomas just got distanced a little bit on one of the chicanes. That meant he had to fight really hard to get back which put him into the red and it was hard going for him from then on."

Kjell Carlström dropped back to shepherd Löfkvist home and the pair crossed the line 47 seconds behind Team Sky's leading quintet.

L?fkvist leading Team Sky for the Vuelta

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:08:00 +0000

Thomas Löfkvist is relishing the prospect of leading Team Sky during their first appearance at the Vuelta a España, but has no qualms about helping out his team-mates along the way.

he Swede proved he had the capability to mount a determined Grand Tour campaign at the Tour de France earlier this summer when he was Team Sky's highest-placed rider on the general classification in 17th position despite riding the first two weeks primarily in support of Bradley Wiggins.

This time around though, the nine-man squad are being given a freer rein to challenge on all fronts, and Löfkvist feels a more rounded approach could yield some encouraging results.

He said: "It's nice that the management have given me this opportunity to go for the GC and I'm really pleased to be leading the team.

"Having that responsibility is definitely something I enjoy, but at the same time, if there's an opportunity for another team-mate to do well in the race, I will do everything I can for them as well.

"Our aim for the Vuelta is to try and be competitive on as many fronts as possible. We'll make sure Swifty has a good lead-out train in the sprints, and there are also guys like Simon Gerrans and Juan Antonio Flecha in the squad that can challenge if they make it into a breakaway."

That approach is in contrast to the Tour, where the squad was chosen primarily to give Wiggins the best chance of success. Certain commentators there pondered whether Löfkvist could have finished even higher in the standings if he hadn't been aiding Wiggins the in the mountains, but that is not a notion that the 26-year-old necessarily agrees with.

He added: "It's impossible to say where I would have finished if the circumstances had been different. What I do know though, is that I didn't suffer huge time losses on those few occasions where I had to wait for Bradley. I think we were on the same level for most of the race, so I don't think it would have made much of a difference in the end.

"My only goal going into that race was to survive the full three weeks, which I did, so I was happy with that and I have taken a lot of confidence from it going into this race."

Fine form

After some much-need rest and recuperation, Löfkvist returned to action at the Tour du Limousin and posted his best GC result of the season by finishing in a highly-creditable sixth position.

Although that four-stage event could never compare to the challenges awaiting him in Spain, Löfkvist was encouraged by the form he showed there and is hoping carry that into the Vuelta:

"I went to Limousin for training, and to also have a go at the time trial. The race was a tough one because it was up and down the whole way through, but the climbs were not super long so I never really felt fatigued. My TT result there was also my best of the year so, that was nice to see and proved my condition is good.

"There's a bit of a theory in the peloton that if you recover sufficiently after a Grand Tour you get a second wind in terms of form when you return, and it looks like I've got that so I just hope I can use it now.

"I haven't set myself any specific goals for the Vuelta but I'm going to approach it in the same way I did the Tour. My number one priority is the GC, and I'll be going all out to do well in that, but if the opportunity arises for a stage win I'll obviously go for that as well.

"Again, if I can make it to the end in Madrid I'll be happy because it means I'll have another Grand Tour in my legs and that should make me even stronger in the future."

Tour De France 2010

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:36:00 +0000

Thomas Löfkvist did a great job in the the Tour de France.

He becamed 17th in General Classement. He was the First of team Sky before team leader Bradley Wiggins.

Also he was before great names like Sastre, Basso , Cunego , Evans , ...

The Basic of this little succes is that Löfkvist didn't had one very bad day like other riders had (Basso, Evans ).But maybe he could be higher in the general Classement to. In the first week he had to wait and work hard for team leader Wiggins. But that we and he knowed before the start of this great race.

Butt with this place in the GC we can look out at the future. Thomas is still growing and we think the great succes aren't far away anymore.

Dave Brailsford (the big boss of Sky) has highlighted Thomas Löfkvist's role during Team Sky's debut Tour de France. µ

"I've been very impressed by Thomas Löfkvist," said Brailsford. "He came here and he's got the best out of himself for which he deserves a huge pat on the back.

"I think he's been overshadowed a little bit but he's had a tremendous Tour de France. He has committed and ridden out of his skin, squeezing every last drop out of himself. He's been absolutely phenomenal.

we also have a lot of pics comming about this Tour de France 2010 !

Milan-San Remo

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:34:00 +0000

Thomas became 27 on 9" of winner Oscar Freire.
Thomas led out Juan Antonio Flecha to break through the mêlée of sprinters in front of him as they surged toward the line on the Piazzale Carlo Dapporto. But it didn't worked

Although a good Milan-San remo for Thomas