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06.10.2006/ Giovanni Visconti wins Coppa Sabatini, Traksel wins Zwevezele,
Paris-Tours: Zabel for a fourth crown, Bettini starts at Giro dell'Emilia and Tropheo Beghelli, Larsson to Unibet.com,
Andy Schleck stays with CSC, Thomas Voeckler wins Paris-Bourges, Changes at Selle Italia,2006 Jayco Herald Sun Tour starts
on Sunday, Puerto: riders were banned before the official papers were send to Spanish Superior Council of Sports, Eddy Merckx:
Landis case is a mistake.
New: Picture gallery Sparkassen Münsterland Giro 2006
New: picture gallery Zürich Metzgete 2006
New: German Quadriga dashing away on national holiday
Giovanni Visconti wins Coppa Sabatini
Giovanni Visconti (Milram) won the Coppa Sabatini yesterday. Ruggero
Marzoli (Lampre) came in second and Enrico Gasparotto (Liquigas) came in third.
Visconti won the sprint of a top group of 16, which had escaped twelve kilometers before the finish. This
is the 23 year-old’s first victory as a professional rider. With Visconti’s victory, Team Milram simultaneously
took credit for a perfect team work. Besides Visconti, the top group also included Mirko Celestino and Andrey Grivko, who
perfectly prepared the victory for the German-Italian team.
Giovanni Visconti was more than happy about his success:
„Finally it worked out. In the past years I always did well towards the end of the season, however, it never was enough
for a victory so far.“ His first victory Visconti dedicated to his team: „It was my aim to win a race for my team
before I leave it at the end of the year. I really felt comfortable with Team Milram and I was able to take the time to develop
without pressure.“ He also benefited a lot from the know how of the management, Visconti continued. „Today, Gianluigi
Stanga told me how the race would turn out to be, and it was exactly how it came out in the end. The race was perfect, there
were three of us in the end, and Mirko and Andrey did fantastic work for me.“
Guido Bontempi, Lampre's sports director commented after the race:“Visconti
had to go very fast to defeat Marzoli. We were in the first group with Marzoli and Carrara: they both worked very well, and
before the whole team had given a great support, but that was non sufficient”.
The riders held 2 minutes of silence before the start of the race to honour
Paolo Bettini's brother Sauro, who died in a car accident last monday. Quickstep didn't start because of the tragedy for the
Bettini family.
Traksel wins Zwevezele
Bobbie Traksel (Unibet.com) has won the regional race in the Belgian Zwevezele
today. The Dutch rider escaped in the final lap with his compatriot Johnny Hoogerland (Jartazi-7Mobile) and easily won
the sprint. Wouter Weylandt (Quickstep-Innergetic) came in third.
It’s the first victory for Bobbie Traksel this
year. "I knew I could beat Hoogerland in the sprint, so I gave it everything in the final lap", said Traksel. "Due to a lot
of injuries, I had difficulties in achieving my best form this year. Too bad the season is almost over", explained Traksel.
Paris-Tours: Zabel for a fourth crown
For the last of the big French Classics, the World elite of cycling traditionally
prepares the most impressive bunched sprint of the season. The specialists of the last few metres have the habit of performing
in some important places where the legend of sprinting is written: the Via Roma for Milan San Remo, the Champs-Elysées for
the last stage finish of the Tour de France, the final part of the World Championships and of course the famous avenue de
Grammont in Tours. Quite a few of the pack's best sprinters have already failed to impress this year.
Tom Boonen, recently dispossessed of his rainbow jersey is seriously counting
on the final straight in Tours (where he has already triumphed during the Tour de France in 2005) to finish his season off
in style. But title holder Erik Zabel, only just beaten by Bettini in the Salzburg race, also has the intention of triumphing:
a fourth success would put him on top of the multiple winners' hierarchy. Race contenders are fairly numerous for a first
win in the Touraine area when they take off next Sunday in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines: Thor Hushovd, green jersey of the 2005
Tour de France or Daniele Bennati, will all take off to win. After 254,5 kilometres of riding, one will need to be extra powerful.
T-Mobile selected four sprinters and some breakaway specialists in their squad. "Our goal is to be in the breaks early
and to ride on the offensive“, sporting director Frans van Looy sums up the approach for his eight-strong squad.
Sunday's edition of Paris-Tours will be number 100 and cyclingheroes will
bring you live coverage of the race.
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| Erik zabel wants to defend his title at Paris-Tours (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Bettini starts at Giro dell'Emilia and Tropheo Beghelli
Paolo Bettini will start at the Giro dell'Emilia and the Tropheo Beghelli this weekend. After his brother
Sauro died in a car accident earlier this week there were speculations that Bettini might end his season. Bettini stated: "The
decision to race was taken after i have spoken with my relatives about it. Also in a so difficult moment my
wish is to return to the group for my family, for Sauro and to respect the jersey that I wear."
Quickstep for Giro dell'Emilia and Tropheo Beghelli:
Paolo Bettini, Serge Baguet, Leonardo Scarselli, Hubert Schwab, Ivan Santaromita, Matteo Tosatto, Cedric Vasseur, Davide
Vigano
Sports director: Serge Parsani
Larsson to Unibet.com
Swedish national ITT champion Gustav Erik Larsson (FD Jeux) will leave FD Jeux and join Unibet.com next season.
Andy Schleck stays with CSC
Andy Schelck extended his contract with CSC. Schleck told reporters of a daily
newspaper in Luxembourg that he made his decision after team manager Bjarne Riis promised Andy that he would start in Paris-Nice
and the Tour de Suisse. Schleck told that he also will make his debut in one of the grand tours. The fact that his brother
frank Schleck is part of the team also played a role in Andy's decision to extend his contract with the CSC squad.
Thomas Voeckler wins Paris-Bourges
05.10.2006/ French rider Thomas Voeckler (Bouygues Telecom) took an
impressive victory by escaping from the decisive break with four kilometers to go. Alexandre Usov (ag2r) came in second
and Team CSC's strong Australian sprinted his way to the remaining spot on the podium.
"When Voeckler attacked I was
left with four riders from Cofidis, who were all looking at me like it was up to me to reel him in, but I wasn't going to
do that, because it wouldn't have helped me anyway. Today's race was important enough in it's own right, but for me it was
more like a preparation for Paris-Tours, which is very high on my list of goals. The result today shows me that I have a very
real chance of making a good result on Sunday," said Stuart O'Grady.
Winner Thomas Voeckler stated: "I have had no good results after the French national
championships. Now i am happy, as a rider you always want to win."
24 year old Florian Stalder (Phonak) was happy with the 5th-place that came at the end of the
season. "This gives me motivation and confidence for my future athletic career." Stalder will race for the Austrian pro continental
team Vorarlberg next year.
Bouygues Telecom manager Jean-René Bernaudeau announced after the race that
the team extended the contract with 38 year old Laurent Brochard for one more year.
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| Thomas Voeckler after the world championships in Salzburg (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Changes at Selle Italia
The pro continental Selle Italia team will have a new head sponsor in the 2007 season. The new
sponsor "Diquiogiovanni" will appear on the jersey for the European races. For
races on other continents Selle Italia will be on the jersey. Team manager Gianni
Savio told stated that he is still looking for 4 new signings from Venezuela and that he has already 10 riders for the next
season. The Italians Santo Anzà, Wladimir Belli, Sergio Barbero, Alessandro Bertolini, Alberto Loddo, Gabriele Missaglia and
Columbian riders José Serpa and Walter Pedraza will race for Savio's team, who also signed neo-pro's
Emiliano Donadello and Mattia Turrina.
2006 Jayco Herald Sun Tour starts on Sunday
Robbie McEwen (Davitamon-Lotto) will start as a hot favourite
for Sunday’s opening stage of the Jayco Herald Sum Tour in Australia, with defending champion Simon Gerrans believing
McEwen could dominate the race, at least until the climb up Lake Mountain next Thursday.
Geranns told the organizers website: “He could win five
of the seven stages, but I’m not sure how he’ll go up the climb. He’s in great form and is such a great
rider, but I don’t think he’ll go up that mountain as well as some of us.”
Gerrans is hoping to become just the fourth man to defend his
tour title and after arriving in Melbourne to a blustery 30-degree day on Wednesday he tested his legs up Lake Mountain yesterday,
experiencing vastly different conditions.
“It was pretty cold up there, I was quite surprised,
I got snowed on and there was hail, all sorts of weather so it was a bit of a shock.”
Gerrans rates Irishman David McCann, who will ride with the
Giant Asia Racing team, as one of the biggest threats.
“I watched him ride at the World Championships a couple
of weeks ago and he was really strong and has a really good team, so I rate him highly.”
McCann arrived in Melbourne early to prepare for the race and
after finishing third last year his expectations are high.
“Obviously I want to go one or even two spots better
than last year but there is a lot of competition. There’s Robbie and Simon but there are any number of potential winners,
it’s a smaller field than last year but the quality is probably higher than ever,” McCann said.
Victorian Hilton Clarke won the final stage in Lygon Street
last year, overhauling another world class sprint star in Baden Cooke to take the overall sprinters title. He is in career
best form and is ready to take on the worlds best once again.
“I’m in good form and I won a few races in the
US this year. I was relaxed and was really looking forward to the race, but then I heard that Robbie was racing and I’ve
been nervous and on edge ever since,” Clarke told reporters this morning at a media call at the site of his final stage
triumph last year.
“It’s always exciting to have another go at Robbie
on home turf so now I’m looking forward to it. I’m one of the few to get the better of him on home soil so I’m
up for the challenge. I wasn’t too excited when I heard he was arriving, but it’s made me focus a bit more and
I’m always up for a challenge.”
“I was hoping that I’d be the measuring stick this
year, but now I don’t have to beat the best in Australia I have the beat the best in the world.”
All riders agree that the climb to Lake Mountain and the time
trial in Kew will be pivotal to their overall Tour aspirations; however there is another element that weighs heavily on the
minds of all the leading protagonists.
“The wind on the flats stages can be even more decisive,”
said McCann.
Clarke added, “Everyone’s talking about Lake Mountain
and the climb but before then the ride from Shepparton to Bendigo is so open that guys like Robbie and maybe myself can really
tear it apart if it’s windy. That may sort out the top ten riders and then it will be out of that ten to see who gets
up Lake Mountain first.”
Gerrans is anxious for the Tour to began, with the countdown
to the race seeming to fly by for the defending champion.
“I’ve never gone into a stage race as the defending
champion before, so it’s a whole new experience so it will be good to see how I handle the pressure.”
“It’s my home-town race so it is really important
to me so I’ll be doing everything I can to try and win.”
Ninety-eight riders, representing 14 teams and 13 countries
will compete over seven days, seven stages and 820km in this year’s Tour.
The line-up contains the defending champion, along with a collection
of riders who have amassed impressive titles – including three Olympic gold medallists, four world champions, eight
Olympians and ten former stage winners in what is one of the strongest fields in the history of the event.
The Tour begins with a one hour criterium in Shepparton on
Sunday.
More information at: http://www.heraldsuntour.com.au/2006/index.php
Puerto: riders were banned before the official papers were send to Spanish Superior Council of Sports
After Manolo Saiz filed charges against the Spanish Superior Council of
Sports, "Consejo Superior de Deportes" (CSD) last month , Spanish media reported that Aitor Osa, Unai Osa, David Etxebarría,
Giampaolo Caruso, Isidro Nozal, Joseba Beloki, Javier Ramirez, Allan Davis and Jörg Jaksche will sue the Spanish cycling federation.
According to cyclingnews.com the nine riders accuse the Spanish cycling federation of: "spreading information incorrectly,
which meant for them the violation of their rights of personal data protection". The same Madrid court which handles the Puert
affair accepted the case.
Intresting news is that the CSD have send documents to the Spanish cycling
federation about the Puerto affair on June 29 and the Spanish federation immediatly passed these documents on to the UCI.
This action led to the suspension of several riders of Astana and other teams before the start of this years Tour
de France. Now it seems that the official documents were received by the CSD on July 7, a week after several riders were suspended
by their teams. On the documents of June 29 there are small differences with the documents of July 7, one of these differences
is that the documents are not authorized by the Guardia Civil, there are no official Guaria Civil signatures on it.
This raises the question how the CSD got the documents before the Guardia
Civil officially released the information and what other differences there might be between the two versions of the documents.
Eddy Merckx: Landis case is a mistake
Five time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx told reporters of Belgium daily "Het Laatste Nieuws" that the
Landis case is a mistake. Merckx stated: "I don't believe that he (Landis) took something which wasn't allowed." Merckx son
Axel was part of team Phonak's roster in this years Tour de France. Merckx continued by saying: "Landis only did what
he had to do, i also don't know this for sure, because i wasn't there myself but for me it is still a mistake."
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| Floyd Landis during this years Tour de France (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
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