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16.12.2006/ Pro-Tour
license for Unibet.com, Manolo Saiz without license, Schleck
Athlete of the Year in Luxembourg, New world record for Theo Bos, Gianni Petrucci pays an unexpected visit to the Liquigas
team
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Route details of the Amgen Tour of California 2007
UCI : Ullrich can ride just as Basso can
Pro-Tour license for
Unibet.com, Manolo Saiz without license
The Unibet.com cycling
team is officially joining the ProTour the next four years. The UCI provided the Swedish team with a ProTour licence, giving
the team an engagement for four years as a ProTour team and the assurance to participate in all the major races such as the
Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Paris-Roubaix. However the organizers of the grand tours: ASO, RCS and Unipublic issued
a statement earlier this week that they will only guarantee 18 of the Pro-Tour teams a right to start at their races, Unibet.com is
the 19th Pro-Tour team and it is unclear how the grand tours will respond to the news.
The reactions within Unibet
itself are exciting. “This is excellent news”, said Team Manager Koen Terryn. “This allows Unibet.com to
compete in the biggest cycling races of the world. Petter Nylander, Unibet CEO, is over the moon. “We are very pleased
with this licence. We want to get results all over Europe, show we are there and prove we deserve our place in the ProTour.”
Jacques Hanegraaf, Director Sportif of Unibet.com is relieved. “Finally. We have been waiting a long time for
the final decision of the UCI. I’ve always been confident of becoming the licence since we’ve perfectly fulfilled
all the conditions set up by the UCI to become a ProTour team. Nevertheless, hearing this confirmation is magnificent news.”
The request for a Pro-Tour license by the Barlowoerld
team was not retained by the Pro-Tour license committee. The Astana squad of Marc Biver still has a chance to obtain a Pro-Tour
license, the license committee granted the team untill December 20 to send the required documents.
Active Bay, the company of Manolo Saiz and Pablo Anton
have lost their Pro-Tour license. The reason is that sponsor Astana has cancelled the contract with Active Bay.
Schleck Athlete of the Year in Luxembourg
For the first time in
his career Fränk Schleck has been awarded the prize as Athlete of the year in his native Luxembourg.
"It means a lot
to me, that I'm able to represent my country in a way my countrymen appreciates. I'm very proud of this prize," said Schleck.
Schleck
had to leave the team training in South Africa one day early in order to get home to the Galla Show, which he managed just
30 minutes before his name was announced as the winner. Andy Schleck was third in the vote as second place was European 800
metres track and field championship silver medalist, David Fiegen.
The journalists in Luxembourg are in charge of the
vote and only one ballot slip did not have Fränk Schleck as number one.
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| Fränk Schleck is Luxembourg's sportsman of the year (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
New world record for Theo Bos
Theo Bos has set a new record for the 200 meter sprint. Bos broke the
track record in Moscow. The Dutch rider broke with a time of 9,772 seconds an 11 year old record of Canadian rider Curt Harnett.
Harnett's time in 1995 was 9,865 seconds.
Gianni Petrucci pays an unexpected visit to the Liquigas team
The President of CONI said to Danilo Di Luca:"I wait for you in Rome with
the whole National team."
The training camp of the Liquigas team was enlivened when president of CONI (Olympic Italian
National Committee) Gianni Petrucci paid a pleasant unexpected visit to the team. Petrucci, who was staying at home of some
friends of his in the same little town of Lazio region, went to the hotel in the morning and had lunch with the riders. That
was a pleasant surprise for all of them, especially for Danilo Di Luca. Di Luca said: "President Petrucci congratulated us
on winning the Salzburg World Championships,» said the rider from Pescara. We will meet again on 19 December in Rome where
the National team is also meeting Minister of Sport Giovanna Melandri." Meanwhile, the Liquigas riders go on training for
the 2007 racing season. From the next days on, the group of riders who are in Calpe (Spain) will go back to Terracina to go
on training and having health treatments.
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| Danilo Di Luca before the start of this years Giro Di Lombardia (picture: Cyclingheroes) |
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