Although Logic welcomed the news with a rude: 'It was high time they announced it!' , Fangirl was very euphoric after reading about it and would like all the fangirls out there to join her in a virtual toast and in a loud 'YAY!' in order to celebrate properly the signing of a 3 year contract by Fabian. So, girls: 1, 2, 3... all together: 'YAYYYY!'
Well done ladies, below you have a picture of Andy and Fabian as a prize for your effort (and for the patience we all had while waiting for the official news to come). 
To make your joy increase, however, miss Fede has decided to spend a part of her evening looking for information about a new promising rider who's joining Team Luxalicious this year. Said rider is Stefan Denifl, 23 year-old, who this season rode for Cervélo. In spite of having been a pro for already some years, Stefan isn't actually that famous, so I decided to write a post about him too.
So, let's start with some facts. First of all, Stefan was born in Fulpmes, Austria (near Innsbruck) on the 22nd of September 1987. He's 179 cms tall and has a weight of 62 kgs. He's been a pro since 2006 (he was just 19 at the time), but so far he's ridden for a ProTour team for just one year.
In 2006 Stefan rode for Volksbank-Vorarlberg, while the following year he joined ELK Haus, a team for which he raced until 2009.
In 2006 Denifl didn't take part in many races, whereas in 2007 he was 14th in the U23 World Championships in Stuttgart, which had a pretty tough parcours. In 2008 poor Stefan had to undergo an operation on a very delicate part of his body, but he managed to win the TT National Championships anyway. The following year instead he won the Thueringen-Rundfahrt for U23 riders. That same year he was 8th in the Tour of Austria (which is a very hard race) and he was 7th in the Tour of Bayern.
As far as the 2010 season is concerned, during it Stefan got a 7th placement in a stage of Vuelta a Murcia, was 8th in the GC of Vuelta a Castilla and had some good results in Tour of Austria. For example he was 8th in the Kitzbuehler Horn stage (where Chris Anker Sorensen won in 2008), 12th in the Grossglockner one, 12th in the final TT and 7th in the GC. As you can understand from these results, Stefan is a good climber who goes fast also in the TTs.
On to his hobbies, Denifl likes listening to music and surfing the Internet. Moreover, he has a big passion for winter sports and for the USA. He also likes training in the Dolomite mountains (Italy) and his favouite race, according to Cervélo's website, is the Tour of Bayern. His favourite charity organisation is Unicef (don't worry: I didn't dream a journalist asking Stefan this question, I simply read it on Cervélo's website!)
According to Wikipedia, Stefan took up mountain biking in 2001. That year he rode for 'Team Bike Denifl' whose name, I presume, has something to do with the fact that Stefan's father was a professional mountain bike racer who even took part in the Olympic Games.
Denifl jr. took up road cycling after 2 years of mountain bike and he became pro in 2006.
To give you some more information about the guy I'm talking about, I'll just say that, on his first pro race, Stefan went on a 180 kms breakaway and eventually ended the race in 9th. Moreover, when he joined Cervélo he said that he just wanted to help his teammates. And according to Team ELK Haus website, Stefan's Motto (at least in 2008) was: 'If you want to change the world, you should start from yourself'. Last but not least, this year he didn't complain for not riding the Tour de France, saying that he was still too young for a race like that. Nice guy, isn't he?
If you want to take a closer look to him,
To make your joy increase, however, miss Fede has decided to spend a part of her evening looking for information about a new promising rider who's joining Team Luxalicious this year. Said rider is Stefan Denifl, 23 year-old, who this season rode for Cervélo. In spite of having been a pro for already some years, Stefan isn't actually that famous, so I decided to write a post about him too.So, let's start with some facts. First of all, Stefan was born in Fulpmes, Austria (near Innsbruck) on the 22nd of September 1987. He's 179 cms tall and has a weight of 62 kgs. He's been a pro since 2006 (he was just 19 at the time), but so far he's ridden for a ProTour team for just one year.
In 2006 Stefan rode for Volksbank-Vorarlberg, while the following year he joined ELK Haus, a team for which he raced until 2009.
In 2006 Denifl didn't take part in many races, whereas in 2007 he was 14th in the U23 World Championships in Stuttgart, which had a pretty tough parcours. In 2008 poor Stefan had to undergo an operation on a very delicate part of his body, but he managed to win the TT National Championships anyway. The following year instead he won the Thueringen-Rundfahrt for U23 riders. That same year he was 8th in the Tour of Austria (which is a very hard race) and he was 7th in the Tour of Bayern.
As far as the 2010 season is concerned, during it Stefan got a 7th placement in a stage of Vuelta a Murcia, was 8th in the GC of Vuelta a Castilla and had some good results in Tour of Austria. For example he was 8th in the Kitzbuehler Horn stage (where Chris Anker Sorensen won in 2008), 12th in the Grossglockner one, 12th in the final TT and 7th in the GC. As you can understand from these results, Stefan is a good climber who goes fast also in the TTs.
On to his hobbies, Denifl likes listening to music and surfing the Internet. Moreover, he has a big passion for winter sports and for the USA. He also likes training in the Dolomite mountains (Italy) and his favouite race, according to Cervélo's website, is the Tour of Bayern. His favourite charity organisation is Unicef (don't worry: I didn't dream a journalist asking Stefan this question, I simply read it on Cervélo's website!)
According to Wikipedia, Stefan took up mountain biking in 2001. That year he rode for 'Team Bike Denifl' whose name, I presume, has something to do with the fact that Stefan's father was a professional mountain bike racer who even took part in the Olympic Games.Denifl jr. took up road cycling after 2 years of mountain bike and he became pro in 2006.
To give you some more information about the guy I'm talking about, I'll just say that, on his first pro race, Stefan went on a 180 kms breakaway and eventually ended the race in 9th. Moreover, when he joined Cervélo he said that he just wanted to help his teammates. And according to Team ELK Haus website, Stefan's Motto (at least in 2008) was: 'If you want to change the world, you should start from yourself'. Last but not least, this year he didn't complain for not riding the Tour de France, saying that he was still too young for a race like that. Nice guy, isn't he?
If you want to take a closer look to him,
on http://www.eventarena.tv/pages/sportarena/radsport/oe-rundfahrt/interviews.php?article_id=340 there's a recent video interview with him. Below instead you have a picture of him riding at this year Tour of Austria.
Unfortunately this is all I could find about this rider. In fact there are some old interviews with him around the Net (just take a look at Cyclingfever), but they're all pretty boring and always have the same questions: What do you think of doping? , Do you dope?, Are you going to change team next year?, ecc. This makes me wonder whether it is really that difficult not to ask obvious questions to cyclists. Apparently, the answer is: 'Yes, it is bloody difficult'. Actually, I have to admit that, if I had to interview a rider too, I would probably end up asking him the same boring questions too. Or perhaps I wouldn't.
Anyway, if you already like a lot this boy, here's a good news for you: Stefan, just like the majority of important people inside Cycledom (me excluded), has got Twitter. Here's the link to his page: http://twitter.com/stefandenifl/ .
Unfortunately this is all I could find about this rider. In fact there are some old interviews with him around the Net (just take a look at Cyclingfever), but they're all pretty boring and always have the same questions: What do you think of doping? , Do you dope?, Are you going to change team next year?, ecc. This makes me wonder whether it is really that difficult not to ask obvious questions to cyclists. Apparently, the answer is: 'Yes, it is bloody difficult'. Actually, I have to admit that, if I had to interview a rider too, I would probably end up asking him the same boring questions too. Or perhaps I wouldn't.Anyway, if you already like a lot this boy, here's a good news for you: Stefan, just like the majority of important people inside Cycledom (me excluded), has got Twitter. Here's the link to his page: http://twitter.com/stefandenifl/ .
(Pic 1 by Sirotti, 2 by Gepa, 3 by Klaus Titzer).
Worst kept secret indeed! Let's all pretend to be surprised ;-) now that the "waiting" is over we just need to wait for the season to start.
RispondiEliminaThanks for Denifl's profile; I admit I wouldn't have looked for information, so your work is really appreciated :-)
About the triviality of interviewers I had the same perplexity. I know that with cyclists and during races you talk about stages, tactics, strategies for the next day and so on, but the riders sometimes are so guarded, or tired, or disinclined, that they reply in automode (and the boring one :P). It will cost too much to ask something even light or frivolous just to ease a bit? Not every rider is like Jensie, in fact there's just the one :P
Speaking about interviews again, I remember one by the Johnnies with Frank and Andy, it was fun and entertaining because they were asking questions like they never saw a bike before.
Francesca
I thought that soon WikiLeaks would publish Cancellara's secret contract with LuxTeam. But Nygaard was faster.
RispondiEliminaAnia
LMAO Ania!
RispondiEliminaI know it's great news that Fabian is now officially part of the team, but really I just wanted to greet the news with a big yawn... tell me something I DON'T know!
Stefan's a cutie, no doubt about it!
Leela
@ Francesca: I've never seen someone keeping a secret in such a bad way. Luckily yesterday the guys at Team Lux. apparently realised that this story was becoming ridiculous and so they finally gave the news officially. It was high time! I usually don't like teams that have so many secrets about their riders, their sponsors and so on, therefore I hope that all this secret-mania will be over soon for the guys of team Luxembourg.
RispondiEliminaI like looking for information about young promising riders. It makes me feel like a cycling journalist (although unfortunately I don't have the chance of asking any question to these riders)! Moreover, it also makes me feel a bit like a talent-scout and this is very nice too. At the beginning of this year Giro for example I had predicted that Richie Porte would have raced well and I was really satisfied when I saw that my relatives (and also many journalists) were totally astonished by Richie's performances, whereas me in those days could say: 'I had told you that Richie Porte would have raced well!' to almost every cyclist lover I met. It was a little big satisfaction for me ;)
Still talking about journalists : I think that some interviews are boring not just for the readers, but also for the riders. I often wonder how some of them can put up with very trivial and unoriginal questions everyday for 3 weeks during the Grand Tours and I've come to the conclusion that they must have supernatural powers to do that!
I saw that interview by the Johnnies too and I really liked it. They made some nice questions (Andy RAYMOND Schleck?!?) and also the brothers seemed to enjoy it :)
@ Ania: Hilarious comment! Btw I agree with you: Brian probably realised that Wikileaks was going to ruin the surprise that he had prepared for Luxalicious' supporters, so he decided to reveal the news.
Btw, I know that this is an off-topic, but I've started to read 'Quo Vadis?' and I'm really enjoying it.
@ Leela: What about writing a letter to Team Luxembourg' staff, asking them to tell us something we don't know (like the colour of the new kits, for example)?
And yes, Stefan is a cutie. So far the new riders of Team Luxembourg all seem really nice guys and this is very good! :)
So what do you think what was the plan? They wanted to keep Fabian secret and present during the gala just like the route of next TdF. Or perhaps instead of the official announcement simply took the Swiss to the first race. That would be a surprise!
RispondiEliminaSomebody here should study for exams. Who can it be? I am joking. Have a nice reading! Tell me which chapter are you reading so I can check what is happening now ;) I read this book many years ago so don't remember everything.
Ania
@Ania: when I read "somebody should study for exams" I had a guilty conscience :P
RispondiEliminaI have Quo Vadis on my kindle, I shall read it again :-)
Francesca
@ Ania: I think they wanted to present him during the gala, although taking him to the first race without informing anyone would have been a much better and original idea.
RispondiEliminaTalking about team presentations: I don't like Rabobank's new kits (although I must admit that I quite like the new team car :P).
That comment made me feel guilty too :P But I can't always study and my Italian teacher says that we students should read more books, so... I'm following her advice. And considering that I'm studying Petronius in Latin, that book perfectly matches my school schedule right now
(I've just begun chapter 46 btw) :)
So Rome is on fire!
RispondiEliminaWell I actually like Rabobank for one reason: it's always easy to find them in the peleton. And as we can see it won't change.
The most important are good arguments, then you can get everything. Bravo! :D
I can also tell you that when Sienkiewicz is discussed at school the subject of the major lesson is: "where the author let his imagination run riot and ignored historical facts..."
@Francesca Why a guilty conscience???
Ania
@Ania: because I should be studying too for my exams, but I was happily surfing the net :P
RispondiEliminaFrancesca
We have a common problem Francesca! ;)
RispondiElimina@ Ania: Yes, Rome is burning and I'm very curious to see what will happen in the next chapters. Unfortunately I also have to study, so I'm afraid that today, just like yesterday, I won't be able to go on reading :(
I hate lessons about the historical facts-literary inventions dilemma!
Actually, making a fusion between historical reality and literary fiction was a big problem also for Manzoni, so we often talk about it at school too.
I actually find it a bit funny to see that Manzoni's 'Promessi Sposi' and Sienkiewicz's 'Quo Vadis?' have some important things in common, like the fact that they're historical romances and that they both have religion as one of the main themes! We live in such a little world! ;)
Fede, answer one my question. Where did Manzoni write 'Promessi Sposi'? In Milan?
RispondiEliminaAnia
Ah, you're asking me to explain you the long story of the writing of the 'Promessi Sposi'! Not an easy task, but I'll try to give you a satisfying answer in English.
RispondiEliminaSo: Manzoni started to write the first edition of the 'Promessi Sposi' in the 1820s, after writing 'Fermo e Lucia'. This book (which was first published in 1915) is considered the ancestor of the Promessi Sposi and was written in Milan.
In 1827 Manzoni published the 'Promessi Sposi', which he had written in Milan and that is different from 'Fermo e Lucia' because in it there are some changes that regard the structure of the story, the language and also the names of the characters.
However Manzoni wasn't satisfied with his work (which immediately had a very big success) yet, because in his opinion the language he had used in it was a bad mixture of words coming from French, Lombard, Tuscan and Latin. At that time Italy hadn't a proper language yet, since intellectual people wrote in a very archaic style and poor people just spoke dialects. In a letter that he sent to a French friend of his while writing 'Promessi Sposi', Manzoni even said: 'I've got problems writing in Italian'.
At that time, Manzoni thought that the best language for Italy was the one spoken in Florence, so immediately after publishing the first edition of PS he moved there to study the language spoken by the educated people belonging to the bourgeoisie. In fact he wanted to revise his Promessi Sposi from the language point of view and he was very keen on succeeding in that.
In 1840, Manzoni eventually published the second (and last) edition of the Promessi Sposi in which he used the Florentine language. That is the edition that is now produced nowadays and that people usually study in the schools.
Therefore we can say that the first edition of Promessi Sposi was written in Milan, while the second and last edition (the one of the 1840) was revised (saying 'written' wouldn't be right) in Florence.
Hope I gave you a satisfying answer! :)
Thank you Fede!
RispondiEliminaIf I had known that you would write me such an essay, I would have never asked this question. I thought that you would answer me: yes (80% chances), no (15%) or I don't know (5%). And now it is me who has guilty conscience, because for needs of my primitive conclusion about little world, I forced you to write this long explanation (Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! I'm sorry).
So we can say it was written in Milan :) Cool. Except for the difference of time, 'Promessi Sposi' and 'Quo Vadis' were written (first one) and published as a book for the first time (second) in the same state. A propos really small world ;)
Ania
Don't worry Ania! I'm studying Manzoni at school right now, so I already knew the answer to your question. I digressed 'a bit' in my comment, but that was just my fault. So, don't worry :)
RispondiEliminaI didn't know that Quo Vadis had been published in Milan! That's fun and that's another proof to the fact that we live in a very small world ;)
PS: In case you're wondering why I'm answering your comment now, I can tell you that I've had my driving license exam (which I passed in a miracolous way) this morning and that's why I'm already at home.
At first congratulations. Bravo Fede!!! I am very happy :)
RispondiEliminaDid I write that in Milan? I wrote that in the same state. Who got Milan after the Congress of Vienna?
Here you have map: http://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/congress_vienna_1815.htm
And now Fede show where Milan is and say why it is on pink.
'Quo vadis' came out in book form in Cracow (1896). Look at the map and now you should call that Cracow is on blue. Indeed is, but wasn't long, would be on pink since 1846. That is this difference of time.
Ania
Ooops, I think I've made a biiiig mistake with that! Shame on me! (*tries to hide her head in the sand without succeeding*).
RispondiEliminaIt actually seemed a bit strange to me that Sienkiewicz had to publish his book in Milan, but still...
Anyway, I blame my mistake on the post-exam euphoria that didn't allow me to read your comment properly and to remember in which state Cracow was after the damned Congress of Vienna (I'm good at finding excuses for my mistakes :P).
Or perhaps in reality there isn't any good excuse for my mistake. Shame on me then!! :P
Oh, and thank you very very much for the congratulations :D
Oh Fede, Fede... It looks like last post was written by Fangirl not by Logic.
RispondiElimina1)Believe me I don't expect from you any knowledge about Cracow. Actually why Cracow? You couldn't know before that it had come out there. I only thought that you would remember how big Austria was and that would be enough to conclusion about little world.
2) I accept all your excuses. Even that Logic still didn't come back from that exam and dog ate Italy's history book.
3)I only hope that you aren't angry at me about everything I wrote here. I promise to be better next time.
Ania
Very smart, double negation. Delete "don't" or "any". Sorry...
RispondiEliminaAnia
Don't worry dear, it takes a lot to make me lose my temper and get angry at someone. Moreover, your remark was written in a very funny way that even managed to make me laugh out loud.
RispondiEliminaAs far as your last comment is concerned, in Italy we use plenty of double negations, so I hardly notice them in English. Therefore you shouldn't worry for this either. After all, English isn't our mother-tongue, so we have a good excuse for our grammar mistakes ;)