Giro Lombardia: voices about the race

Fränk Schleck (CSC): "I'm disappointed, because I'd hoped for more, but I ran out of strength in the end. We weren't working together properly in the pursuing group, when we were trying to bridge the gap to Bettini. I tried to make up for some of the lost time on the final climb, but I couldn't do it. I really wanted to make a good result in this race, but Bettini was simply too fast."

Bjarne Riis (DS CSC): "Of course we wanted to finish off with a good result and I do think we delivered a solid effort. It's too bad that Fränk didn't get the result he'd hoped for, but he did his very best and the team did a great job too. There's no doubt Bettini was in a league of his own today and after what's happened to him lately he certainly deserves it."

Matteo Carrara (Lampre): “I’m quite satisfied about the race, I lost the first group on Ghisallo, then I found the energy for recover the first group and on the next climbs I was brilliant. Bettini was too strong, but after Civiglio I thought that it was possible to catching him."

Ruggero Marzoli (Lampre): “I suffered the change of pace on Ghisallo climb. It’s a pity, because after I found a good rhythm and I reached Como with a good fit."

Valerio Piva (DS T-Mobile): "In this tough race you need to be in top shape. Today, other riders had what it takes. At breakfast we hatched a plan to ride for Nardello. That’s what we did, and that’s why people like Baumann and Ziegler dropped out after doing some good team work. Daniele rode strong, but not strong enough."

Erik Breukink (DS Rabobank): “you just know that in a race like Lombardy the strongest cyclists will survive and that a select group will battle for victory and most of these names are clear at the moment the race starts. Of course Michael (Boogerd, ed.) is one of them and he was doing great but to compete with Bettini one needs to have an extraordinary day. Unfortunately Boogie wasn’t having one today.”

Paolo Bettini (Quickstep): "Today I did not pedal alone,I'll never forget this day."

Fabio Sacchi and Marco Velo won Trofeo Citta di Borgomanero

At the close of this year’s season, the Team Milram duo Fabio Sacchi and Marco Velo has won the Team Time Trial in the Trofeo Citta di Borgomanero. The 50 kilometers in the North of Italy took them 1:02:47 hours. With this time, they prevailed against the Italian-Swiss duo Vicenzo Nibali and Roman Kreuziger, who came on rank two. The two Liquigas riders were 1:31 minutes behind.

Results Trofeo Citta di Borgomanero:

1. Fabio Sacchi - Marco Velo - Milram 1.02.47
2. Vincenzo Nibali - Roman Kreuziger - Liquigas + 1.31
3. Volodymir Gustov - Andrea Peron - Team CSC + 2.27
4. Alessandro Ballan - Giovanni Visconti - Lampre/Milram + 2.52
5. Rinaldo Nocentini - Andrea Tonti - Acqua&Sapone + 3.05
6. Danilo Di Luca - Ruggero Marzoli - Liquigas/Lampre + 3.22
7. Ruslan Pidgornyy - Gabriele Bosisio - Tenax + 3.30
8. Alberto Ongarato - Alessandro Petacchi - Milram + 4.17
9. Daniele Nardello - Eddy Mazzoleni - T-Mobile + 4.20
10. Alexander Efimkin - Vladimir Efimkin - Barloworld/Caisse d'Epargne + 4.37

Raivis Belohvosciks  won Chrono des Nations

Raivis Belohvosciks, from Latvia, who ran for CB Immobiliare-Universal Caffé this year will ride for Saunier Duval next year. It must have inspired Belohvosciks, on Sunday he won the Chrono des Nations, CSC rider Brain Vandenborgh came in second. Belohvosciks signed a two-year contract to ride with Pietro Algeri again, since Pietro used to be his sports director when he was a mamber of the Lampre-Daikin team.

Zabel and Risi win SixDayNight in Buettgen

On October 13 Erik Zabel (Milram) and his partner Bruno Risi have won the SixDayNight 2006 in Buettgen. The two riders have won in an exciting final chase before the Swiss-Italian duo Franco Marvulli/Marco Villa and the German riders Andreas Beikirch/Thomas Fothen.

The first race over 40 minutes was won by Andreas Beikirch (Team Sparkasse) and Thomas Fothen (Gerolsteiner). In this first race Zabel and Risi finished on rank three. In the following competitions the duo Christian Grassmann/Christian Lademann took over the leading position which they wanted to defend in the final chase over 45 minutes and 50 laps. The speed of the final race was very fast and the teams Zabel/Risi and Marvulli/Villa were the best. In the final competition Zabel and Risi were able to win with 54 points before Marvulli and Villa (47) and Beikirch/Fothen (34).

Impressive farewell Marc Wauters

Many thousands of fans had come to Zolder to honour Marc Wauters, the ‘soldier’ of the Rabo ProTeam. The entire Sunday was dedicated to the farewell of the top-class cyclist from Belgium, who put his bike aside after sixteen years of professional cycling. Since 1998 Wauters was a member of the Rabo ProTeam and up until now he has been the only Rabo to ever have worn the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.

On Sunday dozens, mainly Belgian and Dutch cyclists came to Zolder to say goodbye to the veteran which is known as ‘the soldier’ among the pack due to his hair style. Also former World Champions Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw and almost all the Rabo team members were present as the festivities began at ten o’clock in the morning.

Hundreds participated in the tour of about fifty kilometres early in the morning to start the celebrations. Later that day there was a linked time trial and a criterium in which about fifty cyclists took part, among them all the well-known Belgian and Dutch cyclists. Even those who had given a real effort in the Tour of Lombardy on Saturday were present in the race to honour Marc Wauters. A playful moment occurred as the pack put on army coats and followed an old army truck across the track.

In the final lap Marc Wauters, who started despite some difficulties thanks to a collarbone fracture he ran into several weeks ago, took off with his team mates and friends for life Michael Boogerd and Erik Dekker. Boogerd and Dekker assisted the men, who had helped them many times before, to the finish line for the very last time. After this symbolic ending Wauters was honoured on stage by many, among them the Flemish prime-minister Yves Letherme. It was an emotional closure of a terrific career.

Michele Gobbi back home

The Italian Team Milram rider Michele Gobbi’s health is improving continuously. Gobbi, who had a bad crash in the GP Beghelli on 8 October, in which he contracted serious cerebral injuries, has now been brought to a hospital near his home town Vicenza.

Since he woke up from the drug induced coma, his recovery is proceeding continually. However, it cannot be forseen yet when he will be able to return to the races.

Robbie McEwen wins final stage of the Herald Sun Tour

Robbie McEwen has added another bouquet to his bag. Robbie won the final stage at Herald Sun Tour, a criterium in Lygon Street. New-Zealand's Greg Henderson and Australia's Simon Gerrans finished behind him, the letter being the final winner of Herald Sun Tour. Chris Jongewaard was second in the overall and Irishman David Mccan grabbed the third place in the final general classification.

Ponak: a quiet farewell

The final season race before a long winter break is always very special. But this year the riders of Phonak Cycling experienced this leave-taking in a dual sense. It was absolutely the last race in the Phonak Cycling shirt. Nevertheless – or perhaps because of this – the riders were never able to put on a really strong showing. The farewells of the team members after the work was over were brief: "Of course it hurts that there'll be no more Phonak Cycling Team," said Martin Elmiger "But the fact that the majority of the riders will see each other again next season in the big family of cycling sport helped us, despite everything, to bear up in face of the team dissolution." Elmer also said:"Our nice green, white and yellow jersey will be missing from the peloton in future. It didn't have to turn out this way."