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27.09.2006/Mixed feelings for Tjallingii after Worlds, Kessiakoff's debut delayed until 2007, Christian Knees:
funride with fans, Hondo to Team Tinkoff Credit System, Lafis team leader with Unibet.com, Landis preparing for appeal,
hip surgery today, Patrick Lefevere: Ullrich last clean tour winner, Thomas Dekker: "Jan Ullrich most beautiful rider of our
time"
New: picture gallery World championships 2006
Mixed feelings for Tjallingii after Worlds
Maarten Tjallingii failed to finish in his first world championships as a professional. Cramp forced the Skil-Shimano
rider out of the race two laps from the end. Japanese Skil-Shimano teammate Hidenori Nodera also failed to make it to the
line."I have mixed feelings to a degree about these world championships," admitted Tjallingii after his performance. "I had
hoped for good legs and that I would be in with a chance in the final stages. But it became apparent fairly early on that
I was not fully fit. Fortunately I was able to work hard for the team in spite of that. I closed a gap to a group that did
not include any fellow countrymen and then substantially reduced the gap to the other leading group together with Jan Boven
three laps from the end. In that sense I’m happy I was able to play a meaningful role in my first world championships.”
Kessiakoff's debut delayed until 2007
Swedish rider Frederik Kessiakoff , who won a bronze medal in the recent MTB world championships in Rotorua, New Zealand,
had to postpone his debut as Team Barloworld's stagaire until 2007.
Kessiakoff has suffered a fracture in his foot and will be out of action for the remainder of this season.
Kessiakoff would have made his debut in the red Team Barloworld jersey at the Memorial Cimurri in Italy on Saturday,
September 30 , along with 8 Barloworld riders under guidance of Directeur Sportif Alberto Volpi .
The full squad confirmed for this one-day race are: Giosuè Bonomi, Felix Cardenas, Mads Christensen, Marco Corti, Enrico
Degano, Rodney Green, James Perry and Simon Schaerer .
Christian Knees: funride with fans
On the forthcoming Saturday (30 September), cycling fans can get close to Team Milram rider Christian Knees, for the
25 year-old will be participating in the bike tour of the Kölner Stadtanzeiger. Knees won the Cologne classics earlier this
year. The small tour, which has been mapped in cooperation with the Rad-Touristik-Club Wesseling, leads the riders
over 33 kilometers. It starts at 2 pm at the Park&Ride car park near the city railway line 18, Otto-Wels-Straße (K7) in
Brühl-Badorf. This is where the finish will be as well. The course passes Schloss Falkenlust, leads through the recreation
area Entenfang and goes to the bank of the Rhein. In Bornheim-Üdorf a break will be held at the Caféhäuschen Üdorf, where
Christian Knees will be available for some small talk. In order to be able to plan the tour and to hand out numbers
to the participants, please register at the „Rhein-Erft“ editorial office of the „Kölner Stadtanzeiger“:
by phone, please call 02234 / 183710, by fax, please dial 02243 / 183720, or by e-mail write to redaktion.rhein@ksta.de.
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| Christian Knees during his winning solo at the Cologne classics (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Hondo to Team Tinkoff Credit System
Danilo Hondo won the Belgian one day race "Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden". It was season win number 8 for the 32
year old rider. Hondo will leave the Lamonta team at the end of this season, Hondo will join the new Italian Team Tinkoff
Credit System in 2007.
According to the Italian based website "Ciclismo Online", Salvatore Commesso will leave Lampre at the end of the year to
join Danilo Hondo at Team Tinkoff Credit System.
Lafis team leader with Unibet.com
Michael Lafis paid a visit to General Manager Koen Terryn and Sports Manager
Jacques Hanegraaf at the Belgian cycling office today. The former Swedish cyclists will be a team leader in the Unibet.com
cycling team next year.
The Swedish road Championship in 1997 was the biggest success in the professional career of
Michael Lafis. When he quit cycling at the end of 2000, he was riding for the Dutch team Farm Frites where Jacques Hanegraaf
was general manager. “We kept in touch and Jacques called me this year to ask whether I was interested in becoming a
team leader for Unibet.com”, said Lafis.
“Of course I was interested”, continued Michael Lafis.
“After my professional career I started a Swedish cycling magazine called Cykelnytt to keep contact with the world of
cycling.” Michael Lafis was also largely involved in the organisation of the Tour of Sweden the past two years.
“I
have enough experience as a former professional cyclist to help Unibet.com in achieving some great results. I’m also
looking forward to seeing some of my former colleagues and teammates again who became team leaders themselves”, stated
Lafis.
Landis preparing for appeal, hip surgery today
Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, who will have hip replacement surgery
today, received notice that the Anti-Doping Review Board (ADRB) has recommended that the United States Anti-Doping Agency
(USADA) move forward in the disciplinary process related to Landis’ alleged positive drug test of July 20, 2006. Howard
Jacobs, attorney for Landis, will request an open hearing by the American Arbitration Association to contest potential sanctions
against the athlete.
Despite the ADRB’s recommendations, Landis’ legal team is poised
to bring a very strong case to arbitration. Last week’s motion for dismissal provides the foundation for an appeal that
uses fact-based science to support Landis’ innocence. Landis is confident that the hearing will reveal the truth and
he is looking forward to clearing his name in an open and public forum. According to the Belgian website wieleruitslagen.be
the motion for dismissal was rejected yesterday.
While his legal team prepares for arbitration, Landis will focus on his upcoming
hip replacement surgery. “Floyd is going to undergo a state of the art procedure that will maximize his chances of returning
to racing at the top level,” said Brent Kay, M.D., Landis’ physician and assistant clinical professor of medicine
at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Following surgery, Landis will go through physical therapy to regain strength
and range of movement in the hip. As part of his physical rehabilitation program, Landis will begin training in earnest for
the 2007 season when he hopes to defend his Tour de France title. However if Landis is found guilty of the doping charges
against him, he will face a two year ban.
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| Floyd Landis during this years Tour de France (Picture: Cyclingheroes) |
Patrick Lefevere: Ullrich last clean tour winner
In an interview with Belgium Radio station "Studio Brussel" Patrick lefevere (DS Quickstep) answered to the question:
"Who was the last clean Tour winner?", "Jan Ullrich." By saying that Lefevere accused Marco Pantani (1998), Lance Armstrong
(1999 - 2005) and Floyd Landis (2006) indirectly of taking PED's. Lefevere told reporters after the interview he didn't
meant it serious but people don't have a sense of humour anymore.
Thomas Dekker: "Jan Ullrich most beautiful rider of our time"
In an interview with Dutch TV station Nederland 1, Dutch talent Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) was asked: "Jan
Ullrich must have been a hero for you, what do you think of him now?" Dekker answered: "Jan Ullrich is the most
beautiful rider of our time." The interview took place during a talk show called "Pauw and Witteman" on Friday September
22.
Dekker had a difficult season which started very well with his overall win at the Tirreno-Adriatico
in March, and than he did a hard training programm to prepare for his first Tour de France. Dekker couldn't start at Le Tour
because of a virus infection. He than decided to focus on the worlds, was 14 th overal in the Tour of Germany, 9th in the
Eneco-Tour and wanted to go for the overall at the Tour of Poland were he crashed in the third stage after a dog crossed the
road. He broke his hand and couldn't start at the world championships.
About his trainer, (Luigi Chechini) Dekker told the interviewers in the TV programm that it is an honour
for him to work with one of the best trainers of the world. He doesn't know any other trainer with the qualities of Chechini
that would make the pace for him on a scooter for six - seven hours a day. Rabobank does the medical part of his preparation
and Chechini the training part. Dekker wants to become the best rider of the world and said that a Tour de France winner is
mostly about 28 years old, sometimes even over 30. He will have to work hard in the coming years to achieve his goal. He does
a lot of training with Chechini on Monte Serra (Tuscany, Italy). At the moment he pedals 420 watts on the mountain
and they are working hard to push it up to 520 watts.
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| Thomas Dekker during this years Eneco-Tour (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
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